Realm Hearts
by Keyote
Summary: My own personal retelling of the Kingdom Hearts story, with Roxas as the main character. Some elements from the games will be used, though altered to some degree with both familiar and not so familiar Disney worlds will be seen. Expect some romance to be involved in the story too, with some Roxas/Olette/Xion/Namine/Ventus/Kairi moments, though not all happening at once.
1. Key to Beginning

**AN:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the elements used there in. You all know who does though, right?

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.1: The Key to Beginning**

A barren landscape, void of any detectible life; winds kicking up dust every now and then as the element blew across the ground. It was here the boy stood, a child of eleven in appearance holding a weapon that resembled a key as he fidgeted nervously, and anxiety filling him given his current situation.

He was surround by the creature from the darkness; the living shadowed beings.

"Now lad, it's time to lash out. Release the darkness you hold deep in your heart. Gain the power we both know you have sleeping within you. Create for me the key to our destiny" comes the words of a man, old and bald save for a small bit of chin hair. His arms were crossed behind his back, watching to see what the boy would do.

"But master, I can't. There's just to many of them" was the boy's response as another of the shadowed beings rises from a pool of darkness upon the ground.

"Nonsense, you're just letting your fears control you" retorts the man, showing little care in his tone. "Don't shrink back from what we both know must be. Now, release the darkness and find a new power in the release."

"But..." the boy tries to argue, but that time was over as the shadowed beings decide the time for waiting had passed; jumping towards the boy in attack.

His cries are caught upon the wind though none would hear it that cared...

His eyes open at last; the dream having finally ended. The boy, sixteen years of age, sits up in his bed and brings a hand to rest against his right eye and forehead. "That dream again. Just what does it mean?" he ask to no one but himself.

The beam of sunlight filtering in through his window catches his eye and he moves along his bed, propping himself up and opening the window to let the early morning breeze pass into his room. The sun had started to rise and he takes a moment to breath in the fresh air to calm his mind.

_'Could it be about my past? The past I can't remember?'_ wondered the boy mentally as his eyes gazed out over the town he had come to call home.

He wasn't sure, to be honest, and he wondered if he ever really would. And thinking about it in excess wouldn't do him any good either. And so, he did what he always did, he pushed those thoughts from his mind to give room to more positive thinking for the day ahead.

"It looks like today's gonna be another sunny one" says the boy before turning away from the window and hopping out of the bed to go eat and get dressed. He would be meeting up with his friends soon enough to spend another day of hanging out and enjoying their summer vacation.

**(one hour later)**

"Late as usual, Roxas" comes a boy wearing cameo style baggy jeans and a green colored tank top.

Roxas, who had just entered the gang's back ally hide out, just smiles sheepishly as he rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that." He then goes and takes a seat on the old beat up couch they had set up inside.

"Your not late" comes another boy, dark brown hair with a chubby body. "Hayner's just taking a chance to act all cool despite the fact he's usually the one who's late."

"Shut up, Pence" yells Hayner, getting red cheeked from embarrassment. "And I'm never late anyways. You guys are just always super early."

Pence laughs at his friend and says "Sure, sure..."

"You had that dream again, didn't you?" comes the sole girl within the group. Light brown colored hair that was twisted into a braid she had hanging down over her left shoulder. Her concern was evident in her tone.

"Which one did you have this time?" asked Hayner, curious.

Roxas had suffered from several reoccurring dreams ever since he had first came to Twilight Town one years ago. One had been about himself and someone he believed may have been a sibling who was departing for parts unknown. Another had him meeting the old man who would take him on as his student. There was one with him living in a quiet place along with an older boy and girl who he felt a strong bond with. And then there was...

"It was the one where I'm surrounded by those shadow creatures" says Roxas.

"You mean the one where you're holding that giant key thingy?" asked Pence, getting a nod from Roxas.

Hayner leans back against the side wall, his hands resting behind his head, and says "Boy Roxas, anyone ever tell you that have the weirdest dreams?"

"Like you're one to talk" retorts Roxas, smiling a little as he recalls some of the things Hayner had told them about his slumber land adventures.

"He's got you there" agrees Pence, knowing at least Roxas dreams could have some connection to his past were as Hayner's were just plain stupid and farfetched.

"Yeah, whatever" says Hayner, pouting a little. "They'll come true, all of them. Then you guys will know just how cool I really am."

Roxas and Pence both laugh, beginning a humor filled banter between the three of them. Off to the side and sitting next to Roxas, with a cushion space between them, Olette smiles as she decides to simply just listen as she always did. It was times like these that made her glad Roxas had come into their lives.

Into her life.

The memories begin to build within her and she allows herself to think back and recall that day Roxas had first came to Twilight Town. And it had all began one year ago, give or take a few weeks or so.

Back then, Olette really didn't have much in the way of friends. In fact, her only friend at that time was a girl named Fu who had recently become a member of a gang led by a rough and tumble kind of boy named Seifer, who was Hayner's arch rival. Not that Seifer saw Hayner that way. More like some annoying kid that was always challenging him...and always lost those challenges.

Seifer had offered a position within his gang to Olette as well, seeing as she was a friend of Fu's and all and the fact she kept herself out of trouble. But Olette had turned his offer down. She had wanted to accept as she was lonely, but the way Seifer did things didn't sit well with her.

She had approached Hayner and Pence, asking if she could join up with them as they were more about having fun. But Hayner hadn't been interested at the time as he felt a goodie two shoes like Olette would keep them from having any real fun.

Feeling a little rejected, Olette had taken the tram out to Twilight Beach to walk along the sands and enjoy both the gentle breeze and the sun set. Or at least she tried to enjoy them anyways. In her thoughts, she was beginning to reconsider Seifer's offer when a glint of metal caught her eye and attention.

Walking forward, then kneeling down, Olette reaches out and pulls the object her eyes had found from the sand and examine it closely. It was star shaped with a silver heart shaped center and five green colored petals attached to it to form the overall star shape. And from the top petal was a brown string that looped around, showing that it could be worn like a pendent or necklace.

"So pretty" she said as she stands up again. "I wonder where it came from though?" She turns to the ocean and looks outwards, wondering where out there it may have had it's origins at.

A glow is born around the object, taking her by surprise. The object hums for a moment the five green petals suddenly break away from the heart shaped center, then each petal shoots skyward and disappears in a twinkle of light. Now with only the heart shaped center still with her, Olette looks at it and says "What was that? What just happened?"

And then, she hears a groan coming from her left.

Her eyes turn towards the direction of the groan, then go wide as she sees she was no longer alone. Somehow, a boy had washed up onto the beach without her notice. A boy who seemed to be unconscious, laying on his stomach, and apparently naked to boot.

Her reaction was instant as Olette is quick to move to the boys side, her hand on his shoulder as she gives him a shake. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked before worrying his current position might make it difficult to breath, so she rolls him over so he was laying on his back.

And it's only now, in that moment, that it finally dawned on her that he was naked. Her cheeks blush a furious pink as her eyes fall upon one specific part of his body, then she looks away from embarrassment. It takes her a moment to regain her composure.

Realizing she needed to get some help and knowing the there would be some people close by at the Tiki hut having a drink, she gets up and runs over there. It wasn't long before she returns with a few adults who, after covering the boy with a blanket, help Olette get the boy to the nearest doctor.

The doctor gives the boy, who had finally come to, an examination and concludes that he appears to be fine physically though he seemed to be suffering some form of memory loss. He couldn't even remember his own name. The doctor soon steps out to find some more fitting clothes for the boy as well as make a call so as to arrange a place for him to stay out.

Olette enters the room and the boy looks at her blankly. "So, are you feeling OK?"

"...I think so" says the boy. After a pause, he adds "I was told that you were the one who found me before. Thank you..."

"Don't mention it" says Olette, taking a seat next to him. "I'm just glad I was out there when I was and found you. If I hadn't been, who knows how long you may have laid out there."

Following her words was an awkward pause as Olette didn't know what to say and the boy didn't seem interested in saying anything it seems. Fearing she might recall his nude form again, Olette is quick to keep the conversation going. "So, what's your name? Where you from?"

There was a pause before the boy says "I can't remember..."

Olette looks at him, surprised. "You can't...remember? Nothing, not anything?"

The boy shakes his head, saying "Nothing..."

Olette looks away and looks down towards the ground and says "That's so sad..." She wanted to help him, she knew that much. An idea comes to her. "Well, how about I give you a name until you can remember your own?"

"You'll...give me a name?" says the boy, getting a nod from Olette. "I guess that will be OK."

"Great" says Olette, clapping her hands together. "Let me think" she then says as she takes on a thinking pose for a moment. "What would be a good name...ah, I know. How about Roxas?"

"Roxas?" says the boy, thinking about it. "Why Roxas?"

"Well, Roxas is the name of my favorite fairy tale hero so I thought it would be good for you as you kind of look like a Roxas" says Olette before laughing nervously. "Heh, not good enough, huh?"

The boy thinks about it, then says "Roxas...I like it. OK, I guess I can be Roxas then."

"Really, that's great" says Olette, glad to know he liked the name after all.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Me?" says Olette, wondering what he meant. She then realizes he was referring to her name and she says "Oh, right. My names Olette." She then stands up and places a hand on his shoulder and says "Don't worry, Roxas. I'll do what ever I can to help you regain your memories if I can. And if nothing else, you'll have a friend in me at least to help you make new ones as well."

Roxas looks at her, then nods while placing a his hand over hers. "Thank you, Olette." This act and his words makes her blush as she realizes that like in the fairy tales she loved to read, this had all the makings of a beginning to a great friendship.

Over the next few weeks, she would help Roxas get settled into life here in Twilight Town as he got his own place once. Hayner, curious about the new arrival had approached Roxas and asked him to be friends and hang out with him and his buddy Pence and Roxas had accepted...on the condition that Olette be allowed to join them as well which Hayner had agreed to, albeit reluctantly.

Though he would, in time, admit that he was glad he had allowed her to join in as she did help keep them on track when it was needed.

And thus was the story of how Roxas came to live here in Twilight Town.

"Olette? Olette? Earth to Olette, please come in" comes a voice, bringing Olette out of her thoughts to find Hayner's face just an inch from her own. She squeaks in surprise while jumping back in her seat before becoming flustered and says "God, don't scare me like that, Hayner."

Hayner pulls away while crossing his hands over his chest, then says "Don't blame me for your spacing out, Olette. I asked you a question and you didn't respond so what's a guy to do?"

"Huh, you did? Sorry about that" she says sheepishly. "I was just recalling some things. Anyways, what was you you were asking me?"

"We were talking about what it was we should do today seeing as this is the last week for summer vacation. We want to get your input as well on what we should do" says Pence.

"What should we do?" she says as she gives this some thought. "Well, we could..."

"Oh no, don't even think about saying "Let's do our homework" or something like that is that will get an immediate veto from us" says Hayner, making a X pattern with his hands.

"From you, anyways" says Roxas, getting a laugh from Pence.

"But we're gonna have to get it done some time this week so I thought it would be better to do it now so we can enjoy the rest of our final week" says Olette. "Besides, if we had done it at the beginning of summer vacation like I wanted us to, then it wouldn't be an issue for us now."

"Yeah, whatever" says Hayner dismissively. "I say we go help me and Roxas prepare for the Struggle Tournament that's coming up in three days."

"I agree with Hayner on this one" says Pence. "After all, we all know he'll need all the training he can get to better his chances at getting past his first match."

"Hey, I resent that comment. Besides, I made it all the way to the final round last time, in case you forgot" argues Hayner.

"Only to be taken out by Seifer's first attack" says Pence, reminding Hayner of what happen. "And to be honest, you only made it to that one because your first opponent dropped out do to eating a bad burrito and the second guy was to tired from a late night practice to even keep his eyes open for your match."

"A victory is still a victory" shouts Hayner, then turning his attention to Roxas. "What about you, man? What do you think we should do?"

Roxas becomes a little nervous as he feels all three of his friends eyes fall onto him. He chuckles nervously while scratching his cheek. "Well...to be honest, I actually think that we should..." His words go no farther as Hayner is suddenly at his side, throwing him into a head lock.

"Go train for the tournament? I knew you'd be on our side here." Hayner then begins to move towards the entrance of the hangout, still dragging Roxas with him while Pence gets up to follow.

"Hey, wait Hayner..." says Olette as she jumps up, knowing that Roxas was on her side and wanting him to actually say what he felt.

Hayner stops and looks back at her, then says "If you're really worried about our homework, then stay behind and do it then. In fact, why not go ahead and do ours as well. We'll owe you one." And with that, Hayner exits with Pence right behind him and Roxas still being dragged along for the ride.

Olette puffs her cheeks as she fumes. "You jerks, I wonder why I even bother sometimes. Fine, I will do MY homework and don't expect me to help you out later." After a moment, she adds more quietly "I'll do my homework...alone..."

**(half an hour later)**

The boys were now at the Twilight Sandlot, a large open section in Twilight Town where many tournament's were held each year during festival times, including the Struggle Festival. Hayner had positioned himself at the center of the lot, wielding his pole arm like NERF battle weapon he'd be using the the tournament. Apart from the object having a foam covering to prevent any serious injuries from occurring, participants were free to use any style of weapon they chose.

Pence was sitting on a bench to the side, watching his friend and giving him advice on how to improve his form and swing while Roxas was off to the side, swinging his short sword like NERF bat halfheartedly, his thoughts lingering back on Olette and wondering if she mad at them, at him?

"Hey Hayner, try using a little more lift when you swing around like that" instructs Pence, getting an OK from Hayner, not quite succeeding in Pence's suggestion. Pence sighs, then says "Tell me again why your going with a pole arm this year?"

"I figured double the weapon double my chance to win" says Hayner. "Besides, don't they say that if wielding a sword adds 100% power to your attack, then using two will give you 200% or something?"

Pence sweat drops from that and says "I don't recall ever hearing that one. Besides, would that count as two swords though? What do you think Roxas? Roxas?" ask Pence as he looks to see Roxas depressed look.

"Huh?" says Roxas, turning to look at Pence.

"You OK?" asked Pence.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just a little distracted is all" says Roxas.

"About Olette you mean?" asked Pence though he already knew the answer.

Hayner, not hearing them, stops his swings as he looks at his weapon, then at Pence and ask "Maybe I should make another one, give myself 400% more power."

Before Pence can respond to that ideology, another voice rings out, beating him to the punch. "What's the point? Whether it be 400% or a thousand, you have no chance of beating me in this years tournament."

They all turn and look up towards the direction of the voice, seeing Seifer atop a small warehouse looking down at them. Seifer just smiles at them before jumping down, landing on the ground in a crouching position before standing tall and adding "Besides, if you can't even handle one of those things then two of them will be impossible."

"Listen to Seifer, ya know. He knows what he's talking about" comes a voice that makes them turn to see Raijin, or Rai to his friends, walking into the lot to stand next to his friend and boss.

"And what brings you two here?" asked Hayner, his tone revealing his dislike of Seifer.

"We were just out for a walk, making sure no one was causing any trouble. After all, we of the Disciplinary Comity have to keep order in here in Twilight Town. And my gut was telling me that there was some trouble coming from here and so I came to investigate."

Seifer then grins as he adds "I my gut was right. I found a couple of losers loitering where they shouldn't be."

"You tell them, ya know" cheers Rai.

"Yeah, whatever man" spits out Hayner.

Pence was a little on edge, but not because he was worried about Seifer or Rai doing anything as they were usually all bite when it came to Hayner. He was worried Hayner would do something stupid which is what Seifer would like as it would give him an excuse to fight. But then he notices something.

"Hey, Fu isn't with you guys?"

Roxas, upon seeing Seifer and Rai's arrival, had moved from his position and moved forward a few steps, ready to move in and stop Hayner should I try to do something stupid, feels a tap against his back and turns around to see Fu, or Fujin, standing behind him with he usual blank expression.

"No, she's right here" he says loud enough for Pence to hear him.

"Olette?" asked the silver haired, red eyed girl in her monotone voice.

"Huh?" asked Roxas, then realizing she was asking where Olette was. "Oh, I think she's either back at the Usual Spot or she went home, doing her homework. She wanted us to join her but..._laugh..._you know how Hayner can be when it comes to stuff like that."

"Agreed" says Fu before she and Roxas turn their attentions back to Hayner and Seifer.

"So, I see your training with some new toy there. Please don't tell me you think you'll actually be able to beat ME with THAT?" says Seifer.

"Oh, I'll beat you alright. And I'll win the tournament this year for sure. You can bet favorite long coat there on that" says Hayner.

"Bet, huh?" says Seifer. "Then how about we make a bet then. If you somehow beat me, I'll give you my favorite coat. And if you can even win the whole tournament, including beating the reigning champion, Setzer, I'll even be your slave for a full year; no questions asked on anything."

"Wow, Seifer's getting real, ya know" chimes in Rai.

"Fine, I'll take that bet" says Hayner with a cocky attitude.

"Wait, what happens if Hayner loses and you win it all then?" asked Pence.

"Well, if I beat Hayner, then Olette has to join my group and if I win the whole tournament, then so does Roxas as well" says Seifer.

"Huh?, Why me and Olette?" asked Roxas.

"Well, Olette and Fu are old friends after all and I know Fu would be happy to have her with us" says Seifer. "As for you, Roxas. Well, to be honest, I actually think you'd be a good addition to my team because, unlike Hayner here, you're actually dependable."

"Fine, you're on. Hope your ready to lose" says Hayner, making both Pence and Roxas smack their heads in response.

"Don't forget it then" says Seifer before turning around and walking off. "Later, guys..."

Once the DC had left the lot, Hayner stomps his foot repeatedly upon the ground before shouting out "MAN, I CAN'T STAND THAT GUY." After a moment to huff, he goes back to swinging his weapon, even harder this time. "OK guys, time to get serious here."

"Yeesh, you're going to be the death of us, you know that, right?" asked Pence before looking back to Roxas and says "Don't you think so...Roxas?"

Hayner stops and looks back, seeing Roxas heading towards the stairs the led into the back ally's and says "Something up, man?"

Roxas stops and looks back, saying "Yeah, I just recalled something I need to do. I'll catch you both later." And with that Roxas turns back and continues on.

"I wonder what's up with him?" says Hayner.

"Maybe it's about Olette?" offered Pence.

"Maybe, but never mind that now" says Hayner, going back to his training. "Let's work on getting me ready for the tournament already."

**(Olette)**

Olette emerges along the path from Twilight forest, located just outside Twilight Town and comes to a stop before the old abandoned mansion. Why was she here? As part of their summer homework assignment for school, each student was required to write an essay about a historical site located within the town. And her choice for the essay was the old mansion.

There was just one problem, the large gate outside the mansion was locked tight.

She takes a moment to study the gate, and comes to the conclusion that climbing up it wasn't an option so she begins to look around, seeing if there were any holes she could crawl through or vines that should could scale along the wall.

And in this search, she fails to notice the shadows of the old mansion begin to move towards her...

**(Roxas)**

"Hey, Olette, you out here?" yells Roxas as he pass's through the trees. After leaving the sandlot, Roxas had returned to the Usual Spot and found Olette gone, which he had expected. He then went to her place and was told by her mom that she had headed out to Twilight Forest for something homework related.

There was no response apart from the chattering of squirrels gathering nuts from the ground. Roxas calls out to her again, still getting nothing in response. He then comes to a stop and takes a moment to think. _'Now why would she come out here to begin with?'_

Had she just wanted peace and quiet? No, she could have gotten that back at the Usual Spot what with Hayner not being there. And she could have just stayed home knowing her mom would leave her be for the most part. It's then that he recalls the reason. The required essay. He recalls she had chosen the old mansion out here as her subject. "She's gotta be..."

A scream cuts through the forest suddenly, making the birds take flight in surprise and making Roxas spin around to face the direction of the old mansion. "That was Olette" he says before breaking into a run. He knew something bad must have happened to make her scream.

After several tense seconds, he makes the turn and finds the main gate awaiting him and it only takes a second to find Olette, pressed back against the wall to his left with weird black creatures moving towards her.

"Olette" shouts Roxas, grabbing his Struggle bat out to attack these things.

Hearing his voice, Olette turns looks in his direction with relief flooding her face. "Roxas..."

Roxas then runs forward, yelling "Get away from her" which makes the creatures turn to look at him. Swing low and hard, Roxas lands a hit on the closest of the creatures which sends it flying through the air. He then tries to attack the others, but they quickly sink into the ground while to one he dis hit lands hard upon the ground, but quickly recovers and sinks into the ground as well.

"Roxas, you saved..." says Olette, preparing to give him a hug, but her action is stopped as Roxas grabs her hand and begins to run back towards the forest.

"We need to get out of here" he says quickly, sensing that they weren't safe yet.

But before they could reach the turn, the creatures rise up from the ground, blocking their escape. "Uh...Roxas?" says Olette getting behind Roxas as they both back away while the creatures advance on them till they had been forced back against the wall.

As the shadow creatures draw closer, Roxas realizes they looked familiar. "These monsters...they're like the ones from my dreams, only smaller and more childlike in nature."

"Any ideas how to defeat them then?" asked Olette, hopefully.

Roxas chuckles nervously, then says "Haven't a clue. But here's what we'll do. I'll attack them to draw their attention while you make a run for it."

"But what about you?" asked Olette. "I can't...I won't just leave you here alone."

"It'll be OK. As long as you're safe, I don't care what happens to me" says Roxas as he tightens his grip on the bat.

"But Roxas..." argues Olette, but that doesn't stop Roxas from running forward, swinging his bat at each of the shadow creatures. "No, Roxas. Don't do it" she cries.

Roxas yells at each swing but finds his attacks having no effect as the enemies would either sink into the ground to dodge or would be hit but not be visibly affected by the hit. But their attentions were focused on him completely which he found to be a relief.

But time for relief had gone as he suddenly feels something grabbing his leg; one of the shadows that had snuck up behind him. It didn't cause any physical harm to him but it was enough of a distraction to allow another a chance to tackle into him, sending him falling back onto the ground while sending his bat flying from his hands, landing well out of reach.

"Ow" groans Roxas, needing a moment to recover as he had pumped his hard against the ground. He looks up to see the shadows closing in on him quickly. He knew it was over.

"No, stay away from Roxas" shouts Olette, grabbing the bat and running at the shadows to attack them. But several more rise from the ground from behind and pounce her; pinning her against the ground.

"Olette..." says Roxas as he finds himself being jumped on by the creatures as well. As the darkness starts to take him, he finds his sole regret being his inability to save Olette at least.

"_The power to conquer the darkness comes from the heart."_

_'Huh? That voice'_ thinks Roxas, feeling that it sounded familiar but he didn't know from where.

"_All that's needed to claim the power is the conviction to use it. What it takes is need itself."_

"_So need it, my little wayward wind..."_

"Roxas..." says Olette weakly, feeling herself beginning to fade out as well.

And then streams of light burst through the cracks between the shadow creatures, followed by them blasting off and away from Roxas, some of them even being destroyed as a result, as Roxas rises to his feet, holding a giant key in his hands.

"I said get away from her" yells Roxas as he rush's forward, swinging the key at the shadows, slicing through all it touched and making the others jump away on instinct. Roxas then kneels down before Olette and ask "Are you OK? They didn't hurt you did they?" He then offers her his hand which she quickly takes, helping her back to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But that was to close for...Roxas" Olette yells, seeing the remaining shadows coming around to attack again.

"I got this" he says, going on the attack again. While the shadows try to dodge him, Roxas is nevertheless able to take them all out after several more swings of the key. As he slices through the last of them, he takes notice of something odd coming from the slain shadows body. "Is that...a heart?"

"Roxas" says Olette, making her turn back towards just in time to be thrown into a fierce hug from her. "My hero, you saved me."

Roxas blush's from that as he hugs her back, saying "What are friends for?"

After a few moments to let the hug linger, they break apart and Olette ask "So what do you think those things were, Roxas?"

"I don't know" he admits as they both look around. "But I have this feeling in the back of my mind that I've seen them before."

"Did you remember something?" asked Olette.

"...No, it's just a feeling" admits Roxas before holding the large key up and adds "Just like I feel like I know this from somewhere too."

Olette reaches out and touches it to, neither noticing a glow briefly coming over the key chain dangling from it. "What is it? It looks like a key, but it's bigger than any key I've ever seen."

"I'm not sure, but I know you can wield it like a weapon. One that actually seems to work on those shadow creatures. I don't know, maybe I should call it a Keysword or something?" says Roxas.

""Nah, I think Keysword is a bad name" says Olette. "How about...Keyblade? It roles off the tongue better if you ask me."

"A Keyblade" repeats Roxas as he looks at it. "Funny, that feels strangely fitting for some reason." The key the suddenly glows, much to their surprise before it disappears from sight. "Oh well, what ever it was, it's gone now. Anyways, we better get out of here before more of those things show up."

Olette nods and the two of them begin walking towards the forest path. "So Roxas, how did you end up out here anyways? I thought you were training with Hayner and Pence."

"I came looking for you, actually" says Roxas. "To be honest, I was in agreement with you about doing our homework today" which gets an "I knew it" line out of Olette. "So I decided to come see if you still wanted to have a study partner and..."

"Are you kidding, of course I do" says Olette before grabbing Roxas hand and running forward. "After all, how can I say know to my knight in shining armor after he saved me?"

"OK, but I need to stop by my place and get my books and..."

"There's no need for that. We'll just do our homework together at your place" says Olette excitedly. "That way, my mom won't be popping her head into the room every five seconds to bug us."

How could Roxas argue with that logic?

After they had turned the corner back into the forest, a gray colored hole forms on the wall outside the old mansion and a white colored creature comes flying out. It's body twitches before it takes to the air to deliver the news on its findings.

**To be continued...**

**Secret Report 1:**

As the sun set over Twilight Town, one solitary figure stood out amongst the rest; a figure draped from head to toe in black, clothed within a black cloak with a hood covering his face. He had perched himself atop the highest point in the entire town, the clock tower, and was looking out over the full of the land.

"This world has been connected and soon to be erased from existence forever" comes the words of the man. "They don't even have a week left for them to live. Such a sad reality."

He senses movement coming towards him and he turns his attention to see the white creature; a Dusk, slithering through the air towards him. Once the creature comes to a stop, the hooded figure reach's out and places a hand on the symbol atop it's own hooded head. "Show me" he commands.

The figure pulls his hand away as the symbol on the Dusk begins to glow, then shifts into a series of images, all of which make the man arch an eye brow in astonishment. At long last, they had finally found one, but...

"I never imagined that it would be him" he says, looking at the sandy blond haired boy as he battled the Shadows. "Strange that has hasn't changed at all since back then..."

_"Roxas" yells the girl before hugging her savior._

"Roxas? How curious" says the man, giving this some thought.

Obviously, this matter required some serious thought and research on his part. But that could wait for later. Right now, he had arrangements to make. Arrangements that would be needed to bring this "Roxas" into his organization.


	2. Forced Dive

"Come on, slowpokes. We're gonna miss the tram" yells Hayner as he comes screeching round the corner that connected the back alley to Station Heights, making a quick beeline north towards Station Plaza.

A moment later, Pence appears; huffing a little while reaching out with his left hand to grab hold of the street lamp so as to use it to help swing him towards Hayner's direction. "We'd be on time for the tram if you hadn't dilly dallied on getting back."

Olette then appeared, easily dancing gracefully around the corner, heading up the sloping path; then turns her head back and says "Let's not let them beat us, Roxas."

A few moments later, Roxas finally comes around the corner and follows after his friends, his delay being caused by a sudden feeling he had experienced a moment before. "Coming, coming" he shouts out to Olette as Hayner reaches the top of the slope and turns the corner to reach the final stretch of pathway before the station.

And then he feels it again, this sense that someone of something was watching them; watching HIM. A sense that told him it was familiar, but what could it be?

And then his ears catch it; a sound like a ping or a zing ringing out.

Not that he had time for his brain to register the sound or react as within a split second of hearing it, Roxas feels something hard and painful slam into his back. The force of the impact is so great, it knocks him both forward and off the ground, sending him slamming down hard onto the unforgiving pavement.

"Ugh, that's gonna leave a mark" he groans out as he takes a moment to recover before trying to pick himself up. But the moment he starts to move, his whole body goes rigid and a drained feeling comes over him, something that felt painful to some degree. He can't speak, call for help even, as his vision suddenly blurs and becomes static like in nature.

In his distorting view, he sees both Pence and Olette turn the corner after Hayner, neither seemingly aware of what ha just happened to their friend. "Guys...he...lp" he manages to get out weakly before the darkness takes him and he goes still.

**Realm Hearts**

**chapter 2: Forced Dive**

Several hours earlier, at the Usual Spot, everyone save Hayner was present as the threesome waited patiently; quite patiently mind you, for their fourth member to finally arrive. "Geez, and after he made such a fuss about Roxas being late yesterday" says Olette, crossing her hands over her chest.

Just then, the old, moth eaten twin drapes they used as a make shift door push inwards and Hayner finally enters the hangout. "Twenty eight minutes, a new record" notes Pence, looking at his watch.

Not hearing Pence's words, or choosing NOT to hear them, Hayner says "Hey guys, your extra early this morning, huh?" He then moves over to his usual spot and leans back against the wall.

"No, you're just late as always" jokes Roxas.

"Eh, never mind that now. We need to decide what we're going to do today seeing as we only have six days left now in our summer vacation" says Hayner.

"Let me guess, you vote for more Struggle training today, huh?" asked Pence.

"Actually, no" says Hayner, surprising everyone. "I figured I'd take a break from training today and do something more fun for a change."

"Something fun, huh?" says Olette. "Well, I have a suggestion if you guys are up for it."

"Sure, I'm game" says Roxas.

"Let's hear it" adds Pence.

"Don't tell me. Let's all go and do our homework today, huh?" says Hayner in a deadpan tone.

"Actually..." says Olette, getting up from the beat up old couch and goes to stand before the boys while reaching into her shoulder bag and pulling out a flier. "Check it out, guys."

The boys lean forward and Roxas says "A triple showing at the Sunset Theater today, starting at one in the afternoon."

"And it's the three best summer movies being shown together to boot. That's an awesome idea...coming from you, Olette" says Hayner, generally excited as all three of the movies being shown were movies he had loved and had wanted to see again anyways.

"Thanks...I think" says Olette, not sure if she should take his words as a compliment or an insult.

"Yeah, it does sound great and all. But there's just one problem though" notes Pence, getting them to look at him. "What about munny? I doubt any of us will have enough for this?"

"I have 800 munny" admits Olette.

"I have 600 munny myself" says Roxas.

"I'm have 550 munny total" says Pence.

"Just 300 for me" says Hayner. "But what's the issue, though? A ticket is only 500 munny and getting both a descent sized box of popcorn and a soda will only be another 150 munny. We have plenty to go around for that."

"Read lower, dummy" says Olette, pointing at the smaller print beneath the large text and the picture.

Hayner follows the point of her finger and reads aloud. "Along with this special showing, we'll be offering for today only both chocolate covered pretzels and watermelon slices at 250 munny and 400 munny respectively."

"Boy, I would love to eat some of the watermelon slices" admits Pence.

"Yeah, no kidding" adds Hayner. "But none of us have enough munny for that though. Even if we pooled it all together, it wouldn't be enough."

"Hey, I have an idea" says Roxas, getting their attention. "How about we check the job board outside, next to the alley entrance on Station Heights."

"Yeah, good idea, Roxas" says Olette, clapping her hands together.

"But do we have enough time, though? Won't taking on some jobs makes us miss the train and the movie too? After all, the trains only come around the station every thirty minutes."

Pence looks at his watch and says "Well, it's only eight forty five right now and the job board is loaded with special quick jobs for kids to do who are on summer vacation and are in need of some quick cash. If we hurry, we can get the jobs done quickly and catch the noon train out to Sunset Park. That'll leave us thirty minutes to get to the movie theater, get our food and drinks, and find some seats."

"Then what are we waiting for then, times a wasting" says Hayner, already running outside.

"He can sure move fast when he's motivated" says Roxas before following after Hayner with Pence and Olette following him, albeit slower.

"I'm surprised, Olette. I thought for sure you'd suggest doing our homework" says Pence.

"Yeah, about that" says Olette nervously. "Actually, both me and Roxas did our homework last night, save for Roxas's essay which he decided to do it about the old lighthouse on the cape near the beach. Me and him are going out there on the last day so he can do it and I can give him some helpful info. Hope you're not mad."

"Nah" says Pence, waving her off as they pass through the drapes onto the street. "I figured you and him would get your homework done together when he took off yesterday. To be honest, I've already got mine done too."

"Seriously? When did that happen?" asked Olette.

"Remember when I went away with my folks for a week to visit some relatives over in Dawnburg a few weeks into summer vacation?" asked Pence, getting a nod from Olette. "Well, it got pretty boring so I went ahead and got mine done. I even did my essay, using the coffee shop as my research choice."

"So poor Hayner is the only one who hasn't even started yet then?" says Olette, getting a nod in response. "Let's not say anything more about it. I wanna see if he even recalls or if we're in class on the first day of our new semester and only remembers when Mrs. Bloom ask for them to be handed in."

"Sounds like a plan" says Pence as they turn the corner, seeing Hayner and Roxas already looking over the job board. "So, how many times did your mom barge in on you and Roxas?"

Olette blush's, then says "Actually, we studied over at Roxas place...alone." She then runs forward before Pence could respond.

He stares at her blankly as she joins Roxas and Hayner, then grins and thinks _"I wonder if anything happened?' _while breaking into a sprint to quickly join them.

"Well, not much to chose from, is there?" says Roxas, noting the small number of request on the board today.

"Let's see" says Olette as she looks them over. "I'll do this one; helping Miss Grayden with getting some of her groceries."

Pence grabs another flier and says "And I'll do this one. I've always wanted to see how they makes all those tasty sweets at Chocoking's."

"I'll do this one" says Hayner. "Delivering mail to everyone on Station Heights seems like a breeze."

He reaches out to take the flier, but Olette beats him to the punch by grabbing it and handing it to Roxas. "Actually, let's let Roxas handle this one, OK?"

"Huh? How come?" asked Hayner.

"Because the post man usually lets the kids taking this job borrow a skate board to help them get around more quickly. And the last time I checked, you couldn't skate to save your life" says Olette.

"She's got you there, man" says Pence.

Hayner huffs and says "Fine, Roxas can have that one and I'll do this then." He grabs the last flier and says "I can handle taking Mrs. Higgins poodle for a walk at least."

"Hey guys, check it out" says Roxas, seeing an important message on the bulletin board. "To all those who wish to participate in Thursday's Struggle Tournament, please be advised that the preliminaries will be held Wednesday morning starting at ten. Please arrive as early as nine so you can register for the preliminaries. Thank you for your time."

"Well, so much for going to the movies then" says Pence.

"Why are you saying that, Pence? So what if the preliminaries are being held tomorrow instead of Thursday morning. I'm confident that both me and Roxas are already prepared for it. And if not, we'll have after the preliminaries till bed time for last minute training anyways" says Hayner.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you say there's no need for training, Hayner. You must be confident in your chances on winning" says Olette.

"He better be, seeing as he bet both you and Roxas's futures for his never ending rivalry with Seifer" says Pence.

"He did what?" cries Olette while Roxas recalls that something like that did happen yesterday, but he had forgotten do to the shadow attack on Olette.

"Hey, it's cool. As long as I don't lose, it'll all be fine" says Hayner before breaking into a run. "Gotta go guys; have alot to do after all."

"Hayner, you coward. Get back here so I can yell at you" shouts out Olette, preparing to give chase but is stopped by Roxas placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Just let him go for now. You can get him back after the tournament is over. Besides, we need to get to work ourselves or we won't make the train on time" says Roxas.

Olette blush's a little, then smiles and says "Your right. Punishing him can wait till later." And with that, the three of them break apart, heading off to do their own chosen task.

Roxas runs down the incline, passing under the arch that connected Station Heights to the large Market Plaza area of Twilight Town, then making a sharp turn to his right, making a beeline towards the postal station which was situated close to the underground waterway entrance.

Once he arrived, Roxas quickly passes inside, saying "Hey, Mr. Tully, are you here?"

And older man, with coke bottle like glass's and a long chin, pokes his head out from behind the counter, then smiles kindly as Roxas comes to a stop opposite him. "Why, if it isn't our special little ocean child. What can I do fer you, Roxas? Looking for any packages or wanting to mail something?"

Roxas shakes his head, saying "Neither, I actually came here because of this." He then holds out the flier, handing it to Mr. Tully. The older man takes it into his bony hands and reads it over.

"Oh yeah, now I remember. I did put a job request up earlier, didn't I. I'm glad it was you who responded, Roxas. I was afraid I was going to get someone like Hayner applying instead" says Mr. Tully. "Anyways, ready to get to work?"

"Sure thing, sir" says Roxas.

Tully nods, then walks back into the back, returning a few moment's later with the delivery skate board and a bag full of mail. Roxas takes them both, then says "Well, I'm off" as he turns to leave.

"Hold a moment if you would, Roxas" comes Mr. Tully.

Roxas stops and looks back, asking "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor while your here."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, you see, another of my regulars called in sick today and I don't have anyone to deliver the mail for Market Plaza here. I was planning and doing it myself, but I was wondering if you could do it for me? I'll give you a nice, big bonus for doing that" says Mr. Tully.

"Not a problem, I'll do it sir" says Roxas as he walks back to the counter.

"Wonderful" says Mr. Tully, returning to the back to grab the other bag. "To be honest, this makes me double glad it was you who came as I doubt I could trust anyone else to help me out here." Mr. Tully then reappears with a very big and very full bag slung over his back, which makes Roxas gulp a little.

After handing the second bag to Roxas, who felt like it would crush him if he wasn't careful, Roxas straps it onto his back, then turns and heads for the door. "Well, I'll be back soon" he says, then gets stuck in the door because of the hefty bag and needing several moments to wiggle it through.

"Such a nice, helpful lad" says Mr. Tully, grinning a little.

A few minutes later, Roxas is zooming across the plaza, skating like a pro as he pulls letters from the hefty bag and expertly planting them inside their corresponding mail boxes. He was glad the mail was not only placed into a neat order, but all the mail the went together had some sticky used to keep them connected. Once he had finished with the ground level deliveries, he does a 180 and returns to a sloping path that led to the upper sections of the plaza, using a foot to help maintain his momentum.

_'Boy, now I understand why Hayner wanted to do this one earlier. This is actually a lot of fun'_ he thinks as he finish's emptying out the large bag. Now, all he needed to do was back track to Stations Height to finish the deliveries and he'd be done. And best of all, he was making excellent time.

Seeing an edge fast approaching ahead of him, Roxas feels a moment of daring do as he kneels down and plants a hand under the board. As he reaches the edge, he push's off as he jumps both himself and the board into the air. "I'll high five the...Vivi, watch out" he shouts as he suddenly spots the small boy directly in his landing path.

Vivi turns and looks around, wondering who yelled his name, then finds a shadow coming over him and looks up, freaking out as both Roxas and the board bare down upon him. Thinking fast, Roxas force flips himself forward while grabbing the board to keep it with him. Because of this, he's able to avert hitting Vivi, instead landing hard upon the ground behind the kid, rolling a bit before stopping.

"Roxas? Are you OK?" cries Vivi as he comes wobbling up to the sandy blonde haired boy.

Roxas groans as he picks himself up, then says "I meant to do that, heh heh" with a sheepish tone.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been walking so close to that wall, you wouldn't have hurt yourself just now" says Vivi, sniffling a little as big tear bubbles form in his yellow eyes.

"No no" says Roxas as he places a hand on Vivi's shoulder to comfort him. "I'm the one at fault here. I did something stupid, without taking into consideration that someone might be walking past below. I'm just glad I didn't land on or hurt you, Vivi."

"You mean it?" asked Vivi, getting a nod in response. "Thank you, Roxas. That's what I like about you. You're such a nice guy. So what are you doing, anyways?"

"I took an odd job today; delivering mail for a little extra cash for that triple movie special down in Sunset Park" explained Roxas.

"Oh yeah, I remember that one. I wish I could go too" says Vivi.

"Well, you can if you want to. I'll pay for both your ticket and food if you don't have the munny for it" says Roxas.

"I appreciate that, Roxas, but I'm gonna have to decline. I'm heading over to the Sandlot right now to train for the Struggle Tournament and since we're having the preliminaries held tomorrow, I need to get in as much practice as I can" says Vivi.

"Oh, I didn't know you were competing this year" says Roxas.

"Yeah" says Vivi, who then looks down. "I know I'm not strong enough to win or anything. But if I can at least make it into the top eight, that in and of itself will be enough for me."

"I think you're plenty strong, Vivi. You just need some confidence is all" says Roxas encouragingly.

"You really think so?" asked Vivi.

"I know so. And if it helps any, I'll be rooting for you, Vivi" says Roxas.

"Thanks, Roxas' Well, I better get going. Later" says Vivi before bowing politely, then turning and wobbling off towards the Sandlot.

"You'll be fine, I just know it" says Roxas before hopping back onto the board and heading off to Station Height, this time without any unneeded risk or stunts. But it stops momentarily as he feels something odd in the air; a feeling that he was being watched. But the feeling quickly fades and he shrugs it off, thinking it had just been his imagination and proceeds to finish the job.

**(thirty minutes later)**

"Oh my god, Roxas. What happened?" cries Olette, getting a little panicky as Roxas walks up, allowing both her and Pence to see the scrapes and bruises on his hands and face.

"Nothing big. I just tried something stupid and nearly took Vivi out as a result" was his response.

"Still, I'll give you some first aid though" says Olette, moving to his side while digging through her shoulder bag and pulling out a small emergency first aid kit all always carried around with her, mainly because of Hayner and his tendencies to get into accidents.

"Doing something Hayner like isn't like you, Roxas" notes Pence.

"Yeah, I know. But hey, even the best of us can have a moment where we pull a Hayner, right?" asked Roxas, getting a laugh from all Pence and Olette.

"What do you mean by pulling a Hayner?" asked Hayner as he finally arrived as well. "And just what happened to you anyways, Roxas."

"Nothing, really. And this? Skateboard accident" says Roxas as Olette finished applying a bandage to his cheek, finishing up her medical inspection.

"There, all perfect now" she says as she returns her kit to her shoulder bag.

"Funny, you never seem to act so concerned when I'm injured" says Hayner.

"Gee, I wonder why?" joked Olette.

"Anyway, we should compare our munny and see how well we each did" says Pence.

"Right" says Olette as she reaches back into her shoulder bag and pulls out an orange colored coin pouch and opens it up. "I had 800 munny before and got 500 in payment so that's 1300 munny so far."

Pence reaches into his pocket and pulls his munny out, saying "I was at 550 and add 600 munny to the mix. So that makes 2450 munny." He then slides his munny into the pouch.

"I had 600 munny and after doing my job, with a little extra from the Mr. Tully do to some extra deliveries I have" says Roxas as he pulls out his collection. "2000 munny plus the 600 and then add the 2450 to it, we have..."

"5050 munny" says Olette excitedly.

"That's amazing, Roxas" adds Pence.

"Wait, what about you, Hayner?" asked Olette, handing the pouch to Roxas then placing her hands on her hips while giving him a scolding tone.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I still haven't anted up yet, have I" says Hayner as he begins to rummage through his pockets. "Let's see, I said I have 400..."

"I thought it was 300, Hayner?" asked Pence.

"Did I say 400? I meant..." says Hayner before they hear a whistle blow in the distance. "Crap, that's the alert whistle. We need to motor to the station like now or we'll miss the tram." And with that, Hayner turns and makes a run for the station.

Olette, with both a deadpan look on her face and a deadpan tone in her voice, says "He doesn't have any munny at all, does he?"

"We can Q and A him on the train" says Pence, breaking into a run himself. "But right now, he's right though. We need to get to the station and get aboard the tram within five minutes or we'll miss it." Olette and Roxas nod before following them as well.

But Roxas comes to a sudden stop as he feels it again, that feeling that someone was watching him; someone familiar. But who could it be? And from where was it coming? Roxas shakes the thought out of his head then returns to running to catch up wit the others.

"Come on, slowpokes. We're gonna miss the tram" yells Hayner as he comes screeching round the corner that connected the back alley to Station Heights, making a quick beeline north towards Station Plaza.

A moment later, Pence appears; huffing a little while reaching out with his left hand to grab hold of the street lamp so as to use it to help swing him towards Hayner's direction. "We'd be on time for the tram if you hadn't dilly dallied on getting back."

Olette then appeared, easily dancing gracefully around the corner, heading up the sloping path; then turns her head back and says "Let's not let them beat us, Roxas."

A few moments later, Roxas finally comes around the corner and follows after his friends, his delay being caused by a sudden feeling he had experienced a moment before. "Coming, coming" he shouts out to Olette as Hayner reaches the top of the slope and turns the corner to reach the final stretch of pathway before the station.

And then he feels it again, this sense that someone of something was watching them; watching HIM. A sense that told him it was familiar, but what could it be?

And then his ears catch it; a sound like a ping or a zing ringing out.

Not that he had time for his brain to register the sound or react as within a split second of hearing it, Roxas feels something hard and painful slam into his back. The force of the impact is so great, it knocks him both forward and off the ground, sending him slamming down hard onto the unforgiving pavement.

"Ugh, that's gonna leave a mark" he groans out as he takes a moment to recover before trying to pick himself up. But the moment he starts to move, his whole body goes rigid and a drained feeling comes over him, something that felt painful to some degree. He can't speak, call for help even, as his vision suddenly blurs and becomes static like in nature.

In his distorting view, he sees both Pence and Olette turn the corner after Hayner, neither seemingly aware of what ha just happened to their friend. "Guys...he...lp" he manages to get out weakly before the darkness takes him and he goes still.

High above, atop one of the adjacent buildings, stood a figure dressed in black as he lowers his strange looking bow-gun like weapon. "Whoopsie daisy, I think I put a little to much kick into that shot. But no matter though..."

He smiles as a swelling of darkness begins to form around Roxas, pulling him into the void. "...He's still going to take the dive all the same."

Roxas felt his body being pulled downwards within the darkness, a cold and heavy feeling place. And then below him, he sees a circular plateau on fast approach. He doesn't land on the central mass, but on a smaller circular section connected to the larger by a sloping path.

Roxas groans as he finally finds himself able to move again and returns to his feet. "Ugh, that hurt something fierce. What was that?" He then looks around, seeing nothing but darkness and a dim, glowing light coming from platform her stood upon before him, all around him. "I don't think I'm in Twilight Town anymore."

After a moment, he yells out "Hey, is anyone here? Hello?" There was no response, except for his own voice echoing out in a weird sounding way. "Guess that was stupid, thinking there would be anyone else here. But question is how do I get out of here?"

Not sure what else to do, he walks forward, stepping from the small circular ground onto the pathway that led towards the bigger plateau, taking note that the ground resembled a stain glass window in appearance. He just hoped he find something more helpful at the paths end.

**(back in Twilight Town)**

"Four tickets for Sunset Plaza" says Hayner, standing before the ticket booth as Pence and Olette arrive.

"That'll be 200 munny please" says the woman behind the booth.

"Hey Roxas, get the munny out" says Hayner.

"Why don't you pay with the munny in your OWN pocket's, Hayner" suggest Olette.

"Hm, you say something Olette? Hey Roxas, what's the...Roxas?" says Hayner, finally looking back and noticing they were missing their sandy blonde haired friend.

"Hey, where did he disappear to?" ask Pence.

"I was certain he was right behind me" says Olette then something finally registers in her head. A sound ringing out, something she hadn't even given any thought towards till just this moment for some reason. "Roxas..." she says, worried, as she turns around and runs back outside with the guys right behind her.

**(Roxas)**

Roxas stepped onto the large circular center of this unknown place. Immediately, he noticed that unlike the smaller zone and the path connecting them together, this place didn't have the same stain glass look. Or at least, he couldn't tell if it did or not seeing as the surface was all fogged over and such.

But despite the fog, he could still make out a few images beneath. The form of a person in rest with smaller circles around him with faces within them. As he steps forward, he can't help but feel something familiar about them. A guy with brown hair, a blue haired girl, two older men, one bald and one with graying hair. At least, that's what it looked like to him at least.

But there was one face that wasn't quite as fogged over as the others though. A girl's face, younger than all the others with hair of auburn coloring along with a flower placed in it. Why was her image more clear, he wondered? He kneels down and places his hand against her image, feeling something beginning to stir within his memories.

"_Are you OK?" _asked a voice that sounded like his own.

"_Yeah, because of you, brave knight. Thank you for saving me" _comes another voice, the girls voice he assumed.

As this continues, Roxas fails to notice movement coming from behind him, something rising up from the darkness beyond the ground.

"_I wanna give you a reward"_ comes the girls again.

"_There's no need to reward me for anything. Just seeing you safe is reward enough for me"_ says the boy.

"_No, no, that won't do at all. We princess's must always repay our debts. Now, what would be the perfect reward...? Oh, I know."_

Roxas was curious as to what he was going to hear next and he hoped it might reveal something important about his past. Behind him though, a tendril snakes across the ground, drawing closer to him.

"_One day, when I'm all grown up, I'll become your..."_

The tendril quickly takes action, wrapping around Roxas's leg and yanking him back towards the edge. Roxas yelps as he falls forward, then looks back to see the tendril dragging him closer and closer to the edge. Thinking quickly, he uses his free leg to kick the tendril as hard as he could, finally getting it to release him just before he could be pulled over.

Roxas quickly gets back to his feet as more tendrils rise up from the abyss. Going by his instinct, he turns and makes a run for the path he had used before, only to find it had vanished and he barely having enough time to stop himself from going over the edge. He turns back to see a giant, gray/white colored creature finally arise from the darkness; a blue colored scarf wrapped around its neck and a cross like symbol with arrows at it's top and side and an upside down heart present on it's face.

"OK, that's a little more intimidating than those shadow creatures I battled before" says Roxas as he tries to think of a way out of this mess.

Sadly, he doesn't have much time to think with as the creature; this Twilight Thorn, brings its right hand up, causing a ball of black and white colored electricity the form around Roxas body. "What...?" he says before being enveloped in light.

The next thing he knows, he's floating in mid air with his arms and legs spread wide by mini versions of the energy that had appeared on him before. The Thorn walks forward to stand before him, then leans in as if to examine him before pulling back, then bringing it's right arm back, preparing to deliver what was sure to be a devastating punch.

Eyes wide, Roxas is helpless to do anything as the punch comes at him. But the moment the impact would come, Roxas is saved as the Keyblade suddenly appears in his hand; the power released from it's appearance blasting the Thorn back away from him. And breaking him free of the hold he was in. Now finally back on the ground, Roxas sees the Thorn recovered and coming at him again. But this time, he was ready and willing to fight back and so he rush's the enemy as well and when the Thorn swings its arms low to swat him like a fly, Roxas both avoids the strike while leaping onto the creatures arms and running up them, delivering a powerful blow to it's face that causes it to fall back, off the plateau

Was he was on the ground again, Roxas takes a moment to catch his breath, wondering if that attack had defeated the creature? No such luck sadly as a moment later, it's hands shoot up and grab the edge of the plateau then pulling hard to send it into a spin that launch's Roxas high into the air.

Twisting himself around, he sees the Thorn spread it's arms wide as the crest on its face begins to glow and a massive ball of energy forms and quickly builds up. _'If he hits me with that, then I'm toast' _thinks Roxas, knowing he needed to act fast. So he closes his eyes and allows his instincts to guide his next action.

"Strike Raid" he yells, launching his Keyblade forward like a projectile. The weapon spins rapidly, making contact with the mass of energy, causing it to detonate. The shock wave from the blast throws Roxas off, making him land hard upon the ground with his Keyblade landing a few feet away.

"Ow, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all" groans Roxas from all the aches he was now feeling. As he picks himself up again, the Thorn shoots up from the edge, landing with both hands and feet planted against the ground which causes portals to form at the contact points. Knowing this wasn't a good sign, Roxas jumps forward and grabs hold of his Keyblade as bolts of black and white lighting begin to shoot from the portals, all arching around; hunting him it would seem.

While he first felt that he couldn't dodge in time, something deep within told him he could if he just had faith in himself. As as the attacks reach him, he dodges successfully to the right like his instincts told him to. Now knowing he could do it, Roxas makes a beeline towards the Thorn's head, dodging more and more of the attacks as another ball of energy begins to form.

"Oh no you don't" shouts Roxas, tightening his grip on the Keyblade. He then accelerates forward and lands a critical blow against the Thorn's head, shouting out "Sonic Raid" while in the process. The Thorn's head jerks back as it goes to stand and stumble backwards.

"Yeah, I did...it?" says Roxas, losing his confidence when the Thorn begins to fall in defeat; right on top of him. He turns around, trying to run clear of the falling beast. But this time, he isn't quite fast enough.

For just a moment, he finds himself surrounded by darkness, being smothered in it. Then a light appears within the darkness and though he can't see it, he feels a hand grab hold of his and pulls him into the light.

**(Twilight Town)**

"Are you sure this is where you last saw him?" asked Hayner.

"Yeah, we were running up the street here" says Olette before yelling out "Roxas? Can you hear me?"

"Maybe we should split up and search the town" suggest Pence. "After all, he couldn't have disappeared into thing air."

A flash of light catches their attentions and they look up to its source and see Roxas appear, falling towards the ground. "Roxas..." yells Olette just seconds before said person comes landing right on top of her, sending them both to the ground.

"Though I guess he could appear from thin air though" says Pence jokingly.

"Hey, you guys OK?" asked Hayner.

"Yeah, I think so" says Roxas as he picks himself up and seeing Olette's blushing face. "Sorry about landing on you, Olette."

"No, it's OK. I didn't mind it...but..." she says, her voice a little more high pitch than normal.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Roxas.

"Um...Roxas, your hand?" says Pence, pointing to his right hand.

"My hand? What about my...hand" says Roxas as realization kicks in as to where his hand was and what the soft thing he was feeling was as well.

Hayner cracks a smile and says "Hey you two, save it for the honeymoon why don't ya."

Roxas immediately shoots up, off of Olette; his face red from embarrassment and Olette picks herself up, her own cheeks a heavy shade of pink. Roxas turns to her and says "Heh heh, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't mind it, really" she says kindly, thinking _'Besides, I kind of owed you one anyways considering I did see you naked when we first met.'_

Pence just smiles, thinking _'I think Roxas is the only person who could do that and Olette would be fine with, personally.' _"So, what happened to you Roxas? I mean, it's not everyday you see someone fall out of the sky and all."

"Save it for when we're on the train, guys. If we hurry, we can still catch the 12:30 train and just miss the opening credits for the first film" say Hayner before turning around and running back to the station with the others following behind.

"Four tickets please" says Hayner to the attendant again.

"You know the total, honey" comes the girl behind the counter.

"Right; Roxas, the munny" says Hayner, holding his hand out.

Roxas nods as he digs into his pockets and finds nothing. "Oh no, the pouch...it's gone."

A few minutes later, the foursome was sitting outside on the steps, all of them having glum looks on their faces. "Sorry guys. I must have dropped it in all the confusion from before" says Roxas.

"Don't worry about it. These things happen" says Pence.

"Yeah, we're just glad you're safe" says Olette.

"Thanks guys" says Roxas.

Hayner takes in a deep breath, then stands up and says "Oh well, no use crying over split milk. I'll just go back to training and..."

"Go back to training?" asked Pence.

Olette jumps to her feet, her hands on her hips, as she says "Hayner, don't tell us you were training down at the sandlot again while we were working to get money for today."

"No, no, you guys got it all wrong. I..." says Hayner, but the arrival of another draws their attentions.

"Hey guys" says Vivi, who then looks at Hayner and says "So, are you done training for today Hayner? When I got to the sandlot, you were really going all out and..."

"Ah, shut up, shut up, shut up" cries Hayner as he feels Pence and Olette's burning gazes on him. He looks back and chuckles nervously, asking "I'm a big trouble, aren't I?"

"Oh, I'd say so" says Olette, cracking her knuckles.

"Um, did I say something wrong?" asked Vivi as he waddled over to Roxas.

"Not really" says Roxas, unable to repress a smile as Hayner begins running for his life with Pence and Olette in hot pursuit. "It's the only way he'll learn." Now the only question was: what happened to all the munny?

Meanwhile, a figure dressed in a dark coat walks through the Market Street, the munny bag in his hand as he toss's it up and down amusingly. "Boy, that was an easy job. And easy jobs are boring and I hate doing boring jobs. Still, I got myself a nice chunk of change out of the job. So I guess I might as well treat myself to something good." He then laughs as he continues onward.

**To be continued...**

**Secret Report**

The door to a darkened, lab like rooms, creaks open, and a person with hair that had streaks of black and gray and a ponytail steps in and says "So, you wanted to see me, ya old coot?"

The other person in the room continues his work, but does respond by asking "Do I really still look like an old coot...cyclops?"

"Wow, wasn't expecting a retort from you" says the first figure. "Anyways, you wanted to see me?"

"First, see what the Dusk has observed and you'll have a general idea" says the second.

Shrugging, the first steps forward; approaching the Dusk and places his hand on the crest upon its head like he was instructed to do. A images it recorded pass into the mind of the first man, who then pulls his hand away while a shocked look forms on his face. "No way, it can't be him."

"Same face, same voice, and even possessing the power to wield the Keyblade. Its all to much of a coincidence to be chance" says the second man.

"Maybe so, but shouldn't he be a little older than what he looks?" asked the first man.

"I wonder" says the second who then turns back with a glowing arrow like weapon in hand. "I want you to go shoot him with this."

"Wait, you want me to kill him?"

The seconds man shakes his head, then says "This will simply trigger a Dive while allowing me to monitor what happens to him during the Dive. Perhaps in this, we'll get some answers. Though I doubt it will be enough though as I'm already making arrangements to bring him here to Never Was."

The first man smiles deviously, the takes the arrow and says "Oh, I can't wait..."


	3. Struggle Rumble

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.3: Struggle Rumble**

Fireworks burst high overhead Twilight Town, signaling that the time had come; one of the most favored events of the summer, the Struggle Tournament. People from across the town had gathered here, having taken seats on the specially set up stands, eagerly gabbing about and taking bets on as who they felt would win.

Down on the ground, a man with a pudgy build steps onto the battle arena which had been set up the day before for use in the preliminaries and today's match's. He then proceeds to the center of the stage, the clears his voice through the microphone, getting the attentions of all the gathered attendees.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages. I know why you're here. You all know why you're here. All summer, you have been waiting for this day, dreaming of it. And now, that day has finally come again. Please cheer at the top of your lungs as I official declare this, our one hundredth and fourteenth annual Struggle Tournament, officially here."

The crowd does as he ask, unleashing a roar of cheers loud enough to be heard all the way out in Sunset Park, or so many would assume at least. "That's what I like to hear, my friends. Now, before we begin the fun, please allow me to introduce our eight hopefuls who struggled long and hard to make it here today. Will our eight finalist please join me on the stage."

One by one, the eight stepped got up and proceeded onto the stage from the crowd of people sitting on the ground around the stage. Most were known to the gathering though there was a few who were more unknown.

The pudgy man, who was actually the mayor of Twilight Town then turns to his right a another, younger man in his twenties steps up, taking over as the official referee for the games. The mayor then takes his leave, going to seat himself in that stands along with all the other onlookers.

"Alright people, here they are. Starting on my right, we have are three time regular finalist and head of Twilight Town's very own Disciplinary Committee; Seifer. Second, we have the son of our very own local blacksmith and self proclaimed strong man, Ryno. Next, we have an underground favorite and our special local attitude problem; Hayner. Here's hoping he fairs better this year, huh?"

"Now, we have with us every girls fantasy savior from the Twilight Beach life guard; Adion. Next, the one person I bet no one expected to see make it into the top eight; Vivi. Next, there's Kino, the top student from the local kendo training school. Our seventh participant and one of everyone's favored fighters today, the mystery boy who came to us from the ocean blue; Roxas. And finally, a man of mystery who's name is as unknown as his face, we have the Hooded Flame."

Which each announcement, the crowd cheered wildly, more so towards some than to others. Once they had calmed a little, the ref continued, saying "Now, if you would get into a line please, we can start drawing lots to see what order you all will be competing in with each other.

"So, who are you going to be rooting for?" asked Pence, looking at Olette.

"Both of them, silly. It would be rude to not give them both support, right?" replied Olette.

"That's true, but I'd figure you'd be more in Roxas's camp than Hayner's though."

"Well...maybe just a little bit, which is why I'm betting Roxas will make it into the final match before the champion battle" says Olette.

"You're not the only one, to be honest" admits Pence.

"Alright, we have our Struggle order" shouts the ref, getting everyone's attention. "In our first match, we have Roxas vs the Hooded Flame. Then, in round two, Hayner vs Adion. Our third match, Seifer vs Kino. And finally, the last match will pit Vivi against Ryno."

"Boy, little Vivi got the short end of the stick, ya know" says Rai, looking at Fu who simply shrugs in response.

"Alright, now I'm sure you remember the rules from yesterday but I'll go over them again one more time just to be safe. You've each been given a special bracelet that will keep track of your given health. In the first round of fights, you all will have 100 HP. HP is lost when your opponent hits you. 5 points are deducted from any blows to your hands or feet, 10 from arms and legs, 15 from chest and stomach and 25 from a blow to the head. Should you lose all HP in your match, a buzzer will sound to signal your loss. Should a match last for the full ten minute time limit, then the Struggler with the most HP will be declared the winner. Also, being knocked out of the ring will also be counted as an automatic defeat to you."

"Now, for a new twist. The winner of the match will get a little bonus in their victory as any HP remaining to them from a previous match will be added onto the HP total for the next match. For example. If you have 60 HP left after a victory, then you'll have 160 HP available to you in the next match to better your chances. And naturally, you'll want to get as much built up as you can should you earn the chance to take on our reigning champion."

At this mention, another figure with slicked back, shoulder length silver hair steps onto the stage to stand by the ref. "And here he is, the five time Struggle Champion himself; Setzer." The crowd goes nuts at the mention of his name, especially the girls in the crowd. "As the champion, he only has to fight one battle; against the winner of the previous fights. And most important, he'll have 250 HP to burn through, hence why the lucky fighter who'll face him will want to build up as much spare HP as he can. Now, does our champion have any words to say?"

Setzer steps forward, then runs a hand through his slick hair as he smiles to all the lovely ladies. He then turns to look at the competition and says "Looks like I could actually get a good challenge this year...from some of you anyways. So do me a favor and don't disappoint, OK."

"Oooo, that sounds like fighting words to me" chimes in the ref as Setzer turns around and exits the stage. "We shall now begin the first match of today, Roxas vs the Hooded Flame. Will everyone save these two please exit the stage now." The ref also takes a chance to step off the stage.

Hayner turns to Roxas and says "Don't you lose here against this guy, got it man? I expect to see you facing off we me in your next match."

Roxas nods as the two friends bump fist. "You can count on me."

Once it was just the two of them, the hooded figure then chuckles and says "Boy, I got to admit. I wasn't expecting to face you right off the bat. Can't complain though as it will allow me to get right to the point for me being here."

Roxas brings his struggle bat up to the ready, then ask "The point of you being here? What's that suppose to mean? And just who are you anyways?"

"Who, me?" asked the man before reaching up and pulling back his hood, revealing spiky red hair and green colored eyes with a dark blue mark beneath them. "Name's Axel, got it memorized?"

"Axel?" says Roxas, cocking his head to the side. It was weird but he felt like he knew this guy from somewhere. But the name felt off in some weird way.

Seeing the look Roxas was giving him makes Axel grin just a little bit. "What's wrong, you look like you want to say something? What, do I look familiar to your or something?"

_'This guy...just who is he really?'_ wonders Roxas. Axel's ability to read him so well was nerve racking to say the least. Shaking it off, Roxas tightens the grip on his struggle bat and says "Not really. I'm just ready to fight you."

"All right, that's what I like to hear. Fight, fight, fight" says Axel as he reveals his own special struggle weapon; a pair of chakram that had foam covering the sides as stipulated by the rules. "Now, show me what you can do, Roxas..." And with that, Axel goes onto the offensive against Roxas.

He starts by charging at Roxas, his speed being even greater than what he had shown off the day before during the preliminaries. But Roxas knew he was just as fast, waiting till Axel was within range, then swinging forth with his weapon, hoping to either land the first hit or at least land one in unison with Axel's.

But Axel was expecting this, leaping upwards suddenly and making Roxas attack cut through the empty air. Roxas turns his attention skyward, being forced to bring his free hand up to help shield his eyes as Axel had made sure the morning sun would be to his back so as to make it harder to keep an eye on him. Axel then goes into a spin while extending his NERFed chakrams out, then stops spinning as he comes down hard, swinging one of the two weapons right at Roxas.

In response, Roxas brings his weapon up, blocking the blow though he finds Axel exerting more strength than expected which makes remaining on his feet difficult. As Roxas struggles to push Axel's weapon away, a smirk forms on the red heads face and he brings his other weapon swinging around, making sure to hit Roxas arm and using that impact to help him bring his first attack to a finish by landing a hit on Roxas head, making the sandy blonde haired boy stumble backwards from the blow.

"And the man named Axel lands the first successful hit in the match, taking 35 HP away from Roxas. Can are hero recover from that powerful double blow?" shouts the ref.

"Roxas..." says Olette in a worried tone, her hands clutched together over her heart.

"Come on, man. You can't let that guy beat you" yells Hayner.

Roxas shakes it off, then takes up his battle stance again while Axel tosses one of his weapons into the air in amusement, then says "Not so impressive, thus far. I hope you can do better against this."

Axel then spins around, using the momentum to launch one of the chakram at Roxas, who jumps backwards while swatting the weapon away, only then realizing that it had been a feint on Axel's part to distract him. Seeing Axel coming at him , fast and low, while he knocks the first chakram away confirms this and he knows he can't react in time to block another attack from him. But there was something he could do.

"Still not good..." shouts Axel as he goes to swing again, this time aiming for a hit against Roxas's chest or abdomen, but Roxas jerks his body just a little while lifting a leg upwards, making it take the hit instead. While it would still make Roxas lose HP, it wouldn't be as much as it would have been from a shot to the chest area. And that wasn't all he had planned.

While using his leg to take the attack, he had inverted the position of his struggle bat so it was aimed directly downwards and as Axel's attack lands, and he has a moment of surprise from Roxas's action's, Roxas himself takes the offensive by thrusting downwards, landing a hit of his own to the top of Axel's head, then he does a spin with the bat itself, managing to just barely land a second hit to Axel's face as he pulls away following the first blow.

"Wow, incredible. What a come back for Roxas, landing two hits in a row against his opponent" shouts the ref, getting a cheer from the crowd. "Currently, Roxas has 55 HP remaining and Axel is now down to 50 HP. And with eight minutes still to go, who knows how things will turn out from here."

"I take it back, that was pretty good" says Axel, genuinely glad to see Roxas actually having some skill about him. Maybe, just maybe..._ 'OK, so what do do next? Oh, I have an idea. I'll try that one move on him, the one that no one has ever stopped before...except for "him", that is.'_

Axel then walks over and picks up his chakram that had been tossed earlier, then looks back at Roxas and says "Time for me to show you something a little more advanced. I hope you can handle it."

Axel then brings his weapons up into an unusual holding position; one in front being held high while the other was brought around to his back, hanging low from the position of his arm. Axel then breaks into another spin, this one more rapid before shooting forward like a tornado. Despite the spinning, Roxas could see what he was doing; having both chakram aimed in such a way as blocking both would be impossible and the speed of his spin would allow him to land multiple hits quickly while making blocking nearly impossible.

And so Roxas does the only thing he can think of, jumping clear of Axel's attack path. "Roxas, behind you" yells Olette, making him spin back around quickly to see Axel had already altered his course to give chase. Obviously, such a rapid spin didn't lessen his ability to see his opponents or to change the direction he was moving along. And he was somehow not becoming dizzy either it would seem.

_'Great, now what do I do?'_ wondered Roxas, knowing there was no way he could stop that attack without being hit with enough attacks to leave him HPless. And then, it comes over him, a sudden realization. There was something familiar about this. He had seen this before somewhere. And moreover, he knew what he needed to do in order to stop Axel.

Roxas moves back, being pushed back to the very edge; making everyone become tense as Axel's spinning form bares down on him quickly. But just when it looks like Roxas was finished, he drops down flat onto the ground suddenly while thrusting his struggle bat directly forward, somehow managing to lodge it in between Axel's legs. This action causes the bat to be knocked from Roxas hand and sent flying to the far side of the arena and it brings Axel to a sudden stop as well, knocking him off both balance and kilter and sending him falling forward onto the ground.

"Ow, that's gonna leave a mark" says Axel as he picks himself up and rubs his now sore nose, do to the landing. He then looks back to see Roxas standing up as well and says "Boy, I guess you did have it memorized after all."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Roxas.

"Why don't I show you" says Axel, bringing his weapons up, ready for another go. But the sudden sound of a whistle makes the both of them jump as the ref runs over to Axel.

"Out of bounds" he shouts.

"Huh? What do you mean, out of..." says Axel till he realized he wasn't in the ring no more and then he recalls the rules. "Ah man, and just when it was getting good too."

The ref jumps into the ring and takes hold of Roxas's right arm, raising it into the air. "The winner of the first match; ROXAS." The announcement makes the crowd cheer excitedly over the win.

"He did it" says Pence.

"Was there any doubt?" asked Hayner.

"Roxas...you did it" says Olette, feeling a great deal of pride in him now.

Roxas hops off the stage and approach's Axel who says "That was a good fight. We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah..." says Roxas, still thinking back on what Axel had said before. "Axel, what did you mean before, about me having it memorized?"

Axel stares at him blankly for a moment before recalling saying that. He then grins and says "Sorry, but that's a secret for now. But maybe I'll tell you about it another day." Axel then turns and heads off into the crowd, but stops just long enough to look back and say one more thing. "We will see each other again, Roxas. Got that memorized."

"And now, let's move on to round two" shouts the ref as Hayner steps forward and Roxas wishing him luck in his fight.

During the fight between Hayner and Adion. At first, Adion seemed like he had a major advantage due to being both faster and stronger than Hayner which was expected given his job as a life guard required both speed and strength. But Adion didn't see Hayner as much of a threat, being more focused on all the girls watching him than the fight. And it would be because of this that he was lose to Hayner in the end.

Next was Seifer vs Kino, a fight that actually lasted the entire ten minutes with both fighters showing off their impressive skills on both attack and defense. And when the buzzer sounded at the ten minute mark, Hayner came out the winner by a meer two points. This was even closer than you think though as Kino had managed to land a hit on Seifer that would have given him the win instead had he just been a second faster.

Then came the forth match, Vivi vs Ryno. Naturally, everyone was expecting Vivi to lose badly here. But the actually outcome was something no one was expecting. You see Ryno was a really big guy, I mean really really big, around seven feet tall. In comparison, Vivi was as tiny as could be. And that ended up being to his advantage as Ryno just could not land a hit on such a small target. It didn't help that he was afraid hitting Vivi even once could hurt the little guy, making him hesitate. Of course, klutzy Vivi was no better, tripping up all over the place. It just so happened that one trip up caused him to land a hit on Ryno's shoe and after the ten minute timer again rung out, Vivi won simply do to the fact he had been the only one to land a hit in the match.

And the crowd didn't know how to react to this one either.

"OK, that was...different. Anyways, on to the next match; Roxas vs Hayner" shouts the ref.

"Good luck out there, both of you" says Pence.

"Make us proud" adds Olette.

Roxas and Hayner look at each other, then cross arms while nodding. Neither needed to say a word as they both knew what the other wanted to say. "Don't hold back on me and I won't against you. And no matter what happens, we'll still be friends when this is over."

The two of them then walk onto the stage; a voice getting their attention as they do so. "Hayner, don't forget the deal. If you lose, then Olette has to join my crew" shouts Seifer.

"Ah crap, I forgot about that one" yells Hayner who then sees Roxas reaction. "Hey man, don't you dare throw the match because of this one. I won't forgive you if you do."

"I know, but..." says Roxas, taking a moment to look at Olette who had heard Seifer's reminder too.

"What ever happens, we'll deal somehow. Besides, I was the one who made the bet so I'll take care of it. All I want you to do, all YOU need to do, is give this fight everything you got" adds Hayner.

Hearing Hayner's words and seeing Olette give him a nod, showing she agreed with Hayner, makes Roxas tighten the grip on his bat. "Alright, no holding back then."

"And now, let round five of the struggle begins" shouts the ref as the timer starts up.

Hayner goes onto the offense immediately, rushing at Roxas while jabbing outwards one end of his pole arm like weapon, forcing Roxas to move backwards while jerking his head either to the left or right to avoid being hit. Hayner then pulls his attacks back, then suddenly swinging the lower end upwards, missing Roxas by a hair's length.

As his foot comes down again, Roxas realizes he had been pushed back to the edge and Hayner sees his moment of redirected focus as a chance to land a final strike, swinging his weapon around to push him off the arena floor. Roxas sees the attack coming just in time to dodge under him, then dodge roll to the side to avoid another attack before quickly getting back onto his feet and dashing to the opposite of the arena, with Hayner in hot pursuit.

"Come on Roxas, quite holding back on me" shouts Hayner as he spins his pole arm around, then swinging it at Roxas in a rapid and continuous barrage.

_'But, if I do...'_ was the thought running repeatedly within Roxas's mind as he dodged and blocked it swing to avoid being hit, being off with one motion which results in Hayner landing a hit to his shoulder, scoring a point on him.

Roxas turns to see Olette who sees his gaze fall onto her in turn and shouts out "Roxas, you can do it."

Did she want him to win, despite knowing what it would mean for her; having to join Seifer's crew? The look she was giving him said it all. She didn't care about that. She just didn't want to see him lose here. And how could he possibly let her down after she was the one who found him, saved him, before.

"If you're not going to at least try to fight back, then I'll just finish this then" yells Hayner as he goes to deliver a final attack to knock Roxas outside the arena.

Now determined to win, Roxas turns his body to his right, dodging the attack, then jumps back, forcing Hayner to follow. But the moment Roxas feet touch the ground again, he rebounds and push's forward much to Hayner's surprise, landing a sonic raid like hit against Hayner's face that sends him flying back onto the ground and sending his weapon spinning off to the side.

As Hayner lays there, a little fazed from the landing, Roxas walks up and touch's his forehead lightly three more times with the tip of the struggle bat which triggers the sound of the ending buzzer. "And that's all she wrote. The winner of round 5, Roxas" yells the ref, making the crowd cheer.

The cheering snaps Hayner back to reality, making him sit up quickly. "Ow, that kinda hurt a bit" he says, rubbing the back of his head. He then looks at Roxas and says "Since you're the one who won, you owe me one, man." He then smirks and adds "I'll settle on you teaching me that move of yours as payment. That was pretty...awesome."

"Sure thing" says Roxas, holding his hand out which Hayner takes, being helped back onto his feet. They then shake hands before exiting the stage to rejoin their friends.

"That was great you guys" says Pence.

"You were amazing" adds Olette, though she may have been speaking more to Roxas though.

"Not so great for me, but oh well" says Hayner before looking at Roxas. "You better win against Seifer in round seven man."

Roxas pumps his fist and says "You can count on me."

"Really? That will be interesting to see if you can keep that one, Roxas" says Seifer as he walks up. "And did you forget our bet, Hayner? If you lost a fight, then Olette would have to join me crew."

"No, I didn't forget. But..." says Hayner, but Olette stops him by stepping forward, placing her hand on his shoulder for a moment to quiet him.

"A deals a deal, Hayner, even if I didn't make it myself" says Olette before beginning to move to stand by Seifer.

"Hold it" says Fu suddenly, getting their attention onto her.

"Something wrong, Fu?" asked Seifer as Rai joined them.

Instead of speaking, Fu reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper which she unfolds then holds up so they all could read. "It's a written copy of the bet Hayner and Seifer made with one another" notes Pence.

"If Hayner loses in the Struggle Tournament to Seifer, then Olette has to join his DC group and gets Roxas if he makes it to and beats Setzer in the championship match" reads Roxas.

"Condition unfulfilled" says Fu simply.

"Hey, Fu's right, ya know" says Rai.

"Fu, why'd..." asked Seifer, looking at her.

Fu shakes her head, saying "Not like this", indicating she didn't want Olette to join them like this; that she would rather see her join over her own free will rather than being forced to join because of a bet, especially one she DIDN'T make herself.

Seifer growls a bit, then says "Fine, I guess that is how it is then. Let's go, people. I have a match to win after all." And with that, Seifer walks onto the arena stage while Rai returns to his original standing position.

Olette walks up to Fu and hugs her, saying "Thank you" in her ear before pulling away.

"Debt" says Fu, letting Olette that she owed Fu one.

"Sure, anything" says Olette.

Fu then leans to the side, then back to Olette with a slight blush as she says quietly "Roxas?"

Olette immediately looks back, seeing Roxas and the guys having already turned their attention to the stage as she realizes what Fu meant; she wanted a date with Roxas. Olette looks back at Fu and says "Except THAT!"

Fu gives her the slightest smirk, then says "Tell him" before turning around and heading over to Rai's side as Olette goes to join the boys, knowing that Fu was telling her to tell Roxas about how she felt.

"And now, round six will begin...as soon as little Vivi joins us on the stage" shouts the ref.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" says Vivi, wobbling forward towards the stage. But a sudden grab and tug to his coat sleeve makes him stop and look back to see a little boy being the owner of the hand that had caught his attention; a little boy who offers Vivi a sports drink.

"You're an inspiration for all us, little guys, Vivi. Here, drink this and do your best out there" says the kid.

"Um...OK" says Vivi as he takes the drink and, wanting to make his fan happy, pops the top off and drinks it down. "That was pretty good, but the taste was kind of...fun...funny." Vivi seems to go into a daze as his head bobs up and down a little.

"Hey, hurry up and get up here, shorty" yells Seifer, making Vivi turn back towards the arena and walk's all weird over to it. The kid smiles as he sneaks back into the crowd, then takes his leave by moving from the Sandlot into the back alley area of the town.

"Don't let us down now" says the kid in a dark, sing song like tone before his body glows and changes to that of a Dusk that wiggles away though the air.

"OK, let round six begin" yells the ref while backing off the arena.

"Sorry Vivi, you're a good kid and all" says Seifer before going right into an attack. "But there's no way I'm going to lose to anyone this years." Seifer then sends his struggle bat swing at Vivi hard; hard enough to send him out of the ring with one blow even if he does guard.

But Vivi does block, to his surprise. But the surprise wasn't from the successful block, but from the fact it did even push him back an inch. "What?" says Seifer, shocked to see Vivi showing this strength. And then Vivi looks up at him, eye to eye, revealing something was off.

Seifer tries unleashing several other attacks, each either being blocked or dodged by Vivi with such amazing ease and accuracy. And then, Vivi goes onto the attack, doing a spin jump into the air while swinging his bat around. Seifer blocks the swing, but the power behind it is far beyond what he had ever expected from little Vivi, throwing him off his feet and back all the way to the edge. Only a miracle saved him from going over the edge.

Sadly, that miracle didn't last long as Vivi is on top of him, unleashing another series of attacks that force Seifer to finally fall from the arena, much to his and everyone elses surprise and shock.

It takes the ref a moment to realize that match was over before he speaks. "I...I don't believe. The winner of the sixth round is...Vivi?" This gets the crowd to start muttering amongst themselves about what they had just seen. Vivi then returns to his starting place within the arena, ready for the the next fight.

"Did I just see what I think I did?" asked Hayner.

"We all did. We're just having a hard time believing it" says Pence.

"Something's wrong" says Roxas, knowing this wasn't the Vivi they all knew.

"Hey, Roxas" comes Seifer's voice after returning to his feet. "Thrash him back to his senses."

Roxas nods then proceeds into the arena with Olette saying "Be careful" as he does so.

From where he was watching, Axel takes a moment to think about what was going on. _'What was that about? That little guy? He doesn't seem like the aggressive type. Wait, don't tell me...'_

"And now, round seven; Roxas vs...Vivi. BEGIN" yells the ref, not even bothering to enter the ring as Vivi was freaking him out. As his words finish, Vivi immediately goes onto the offensive against Roxas.

Vivi seems to float in the air as he zooms forward, first swinging low at Roxas feet, which he jumps over, then jumping upwards and swing around another which Roxas sinks under. Vivi then starts slashing wildly; left to right to left, up, down, and sideways, over and over again. And he does this with such speed that it's all Roxas can do just to keep up and either block, dodge, or avoid being hit.

"No way, is that really Vivi out there?" wonder Hayner, never seeing the little guy fight like this before, to say nothing of acting like this.

"It's as if he was someone completely different" agrees Pence.

Roxas manages to block another blow, this one aimed at his head, but Vivi's speed suddenly increases as well as his strength and Roxas finds a heavy horizontal slashing motion landing home, hard, against his chest. The impact is enough to knock him off his feet and onto his back several feet away.

He groans from the impact, then feels a shadow come over him and looks up to see Vivi, floating the the air, as he bares down upon him while giggling a creepy laugh. And then Roxas sees his eyes. There was an odd glow coming from them, something almost ghostly. But even more than that, Roxas could see, hear, the real Vivi, crying out for help.

"Hey, Roxas" yells Axel from the crowd, getting his attention. "That little guys been possessed. The only way you can save him is if you clock him a good one."

Roxas knew he could trust Axel's words. Was it because he legitimately sounded concerned for Roxas safety as well as the safety of Vivi, or was it because he had an idea as to what might be going on? Either way, it didn't matter as Roxas knew what he needed to do.

Vivi reach's Roxas, then goes to attack again. But Roxas performs a dodge roll to avoid the attack though Vivi is quick to recover and give chase. Roxas returns to his feet, yet feels Vivi already fast approaching, so he turns around while jumping backwards to give himself a little space, then runs at Vivi, at first seeming to be going head to head. But at the last second, Roxas drops down and avoids another attack from Vivi and does a slide forward, swinging his bat in tandem with the slide to hit Vivi's feet. The impact sends Vivi into a spin which ends with him falling onto the ground.

Both Roxas and Vivi return to standing, but Roxas is the first to do so then attacks before Vivi can make his move, swinging low while Vivi is still trying to find his balance which knocks him back into the air, then Roxas jumps into the air as well, delivering a barrage of fast and furious swings against Vivi before throwing in a finishing blow that sends him back down upon the ground, bouncing and spinning right to the edge. When Vivi gets up, he wobbles around while stepping forward, right off the edge of the ring, falling onto the ground and effectively knocking himself out of the fight.

The buzzer sounds and the ref yells out "I don't know what just happened with Vivi in there, but the winner of the main tournament today is Roxas." The crowd cheer loudly, having found themselves enjoying the intense match, even if it had been a bit on the weird side for various reasons.

Roxas rush's from the ring, jumping out besides Vivi and kneeling down besides him as the others run up to join them. Vivi seems to regain himself as he gets up and, with a little help from Roxas, is able to find his balance and stay standing for the most part.

"Vivi, are you OK? What happened back there?" asked Roxas.

"Huh?" says Vivi as he looks around, finding he wasn't in the ring. He then turns to Roxas and says "What am I doing out here? I thought I was in the ring, about to fight Seifer. Did I lose the match that quickly?"

"What are you talking about, Vi? You beat Seifer, rather easily to boot" says Hayner.

"Yeah, and you even gave Roxas a serious go for the win" adds Pence. "In fact, I thought for sure you were going to win there for a second."

"What?" says a surprised Vivi. "I...I actually beat SEIFER? And I nearly defeated Roxas too? I don't remember any of that."

"Something must have happened to you before you battled Seifer. Did anything funny happen to you beforehand, Vivi?" asked Roxas.

Vivi shakes his head, saying "No, except for when that kid gave me that sports drink and all."

"A kid, do you know..." Roxas starts to ask, but the ref's voice cancels out his own.

"And now, for our final match of the day. Roxas vs Setzer. Will both participants please come onto the stage" shouts the ref.

"Roxas, you go win it all, we'll stay here and watch over Vivi" says Hayner, getting a nod in response. Roxas then stands and walks towards the ring, but stops as Olette blocks his path.

"Good luck out there" she says, leaning in and give him a good luck kiss on the cheek before going to join Hayner and Pence.

Once he was on the stage with Setzer, the two fighters face off with each other. "Say, ruck sack, how about you throw the match. If you do, I'll make it worth your while" offers Setzer in a snarky tone.

Roxas response is to hold his struggle bat and take up a battle pose, saying "Where'd the fun be in that? My friends would get mad if I gave up now, so I won't disappoint them. And the names Roxas."

Setzer sighs as he brings his own, long sword like struggle bat to the ready. "Very well, but don't say I didn't give you a chance to get off easy."

And then, Setzer goes onto the attack, moving with both a speed, power, skill, and confidence Roxas hadn't seen before from someone; easily showing and proving why he was the Struggle Champion for five years running. It takes all the skills Roxas has just to keep up with him, blocking the attacks just barely while knowing he didn't have any way to counter attack himself.

"Not bad, your better than I thought. But now I'm going to get serious" says Setzer as he becomes faster and stronger; delivering to sudden blows that first knock Roxas's bat from his hand off to one side of the ring, then sends Roxas himself flying over to the other side of the ring before he could even think. Roxas groans as he looks back to see Setzer approaching him, a grin present on his face. He then looks to his bat on the far side of the ring and ponders how he could get to it.

"Roxas, it's time for your secret weapon" yells Olette, getting both Hayner and Pence to look at her and ask "Secret Weapon?" in unison.

"Right" says Roxas as he jumps back to his feet and, to Setzer's surprise, charges forward at him while running his right hand over the left sleeve of his coat.

"What's this then?" wonders Setzer aloud as Roxas comes with in range of his attacks. Setzer swings halfheartedly at Roxas as a second struggle bat slides out from hiding inside his coat sleeve which he takes in hand and uses to knock Setzer's attack away while also landing another blow onto him. Roxas then does a roll to make it over to his first bat and takes it back in hand before turning to face a surprised Setzer.

"Two of them?" says Axel, not expecting this turn of events.

"He had two of them this entire time?" asked Hayner.

"Yeah, I came up with the idea late yesterday when the two of us were alone" says Olette.

Setzer looks back and sees Roxas standing there with his two struggle bats and a confident look on his face. He then holds his own outwards and says "So I guess I was right about you then. You are cut from a different cloth than the others I've battled over the years. Now then, lets give the audience a fight they'll never forget." And with that Setzer goes at Roxas who charges him in turn.

**(two hours later)**

"I still can't believe it, Roxas. You...actually beat Setzer in the Struggle Festival" says Pence, still finding the idea hard to believe. Not because he thought Roxas was weak or anything, but because Setzer had been champion for five years running and it just seemed like he was impossible to defeat.

"I still can't believe how close it came between them" says Hayner. "I thought for sure he had your number multiple times."

"Gee, thanks" says Roxas, though he did agree with them both.

The ten minutes they spent battling were indeed the most intense he had ever experienced in his life, though not quite as nerve racking as when he battled the Twilight Thorn. Roxas, despite the limited training time, had been able to dual wield the bats well enough to counter, block, and land hits on Setzer though the older man had still gotten in many blows himself.

And when that time limit buzzer sounded, Roxas had managed to to edge out his victory by a meer two points. Setzer, having lost the fight, congratulated him before turning to walk from the arena, but turned to say something but was stopped as Olette had practically pile drived Roxas by giving him a fierce hug as many of the other attendee's also came running up to give him their congratulations and Hayner had grabbed his hand and held it high as a sigh of victory. Setzer had just smiled before continuing on his way. Then, after the reward ceremony where Roxas was given his large trophy and the after Struggle party, the four friends had retreated to the clock tower, where they liked to go sit and look out over the city when ever something good happened.

"So, do you think you have any room in your place for that trophy, Roxas?" asked Olette.

"Not really" says Roxas before reaching up and pulling the blue colored crystal free of the trophy and toss's it to Olette. He then toss's the red crystal to Hayner and the yellow one to Pence before taking the last, green colored one into his one hand. "But that's where you guys can help me out."

"Wow, thanks a ton, Roxas" says Pence.

"I doubt I'll ever win a trophy like that myself, but at least I can claim to own a piece now" says Hayner.

Roxas nods before holding his crystal towards the setting sun and the other mimic his action, allowing themselves a moment to marvel as the light dances off the gems like a prism. "Here, I have a little something special for all of us too" adds Olette as she reaches into her pack again and reveals four bars of their favorite snack; Sea Salt Ice cream.

Once they all had their snack, they each take a bite, then take a moment to enjoy the moment they were all having together. "Today was a great day" says Hayner.

"Hopefully, we'll have many more days like this ahead" says Pence.

"As long as we can all stay together like this, we will" says Olette. "Right, Roxas?"

Roxas looks at her and nods, saying "Yeah." He knew now that even if he never regained his memories of his past and of his true name, it wouldn't matter. As long as he could be here, with them, he would be alright no matter what.

But around the corner, having heard them, was Axel; leaning back against the clock with a sad look on his face. "Together...no matter what, huh? I'm sorry Roxas..." he says as he goes from leaning to standing, then walks away.

"But that ending will never happen for you."

**to be continued...**

**Secret Report 3**

Axel was laying back on his bed inside his room, halfheartedly tossing his red and silver chakram into the air. Thing's were always boring here within Never Was. Maybe he should go talk with the leader and see about having an arcade or something installed.

A knock at his door distracts him, nearly causing him to be stabbed by his own weapon which he barely catches in time. He then looks at the door and says "It's open." A moment later, man with long blue hair and an X-shaped scar between his eyes enters the room. "Need something, Saix?" asked Axel as he sits up.

"We have a new mission and I requested that you be given it" says Saix.

"Well, that's nice of you. I guess you could sense I was bored out my gourd here, right?" asked Axel.

"Hardly. It's not my fault if you can't find a hobby around here" says Saix.

Axel laughs, saying "Yeah, right. And what kind of hobby could I get? Strumming a sitar like Demyx? Growing a garden of flowers like Marluxia? Acting like Larxene does and tormenting those poor Dusk? Being all creepy like Vexen is?"

"I get the point" says Saix.

"Anyways, what kind of mission and why me specifically?" asked Axel.

Saix responds by snapping his fingers which makes a Dusk appear in the room. "Look into this one's memories and you'll see."

"OK, if you say so" says Axel as he places his hand atop the emblem on its forehead. A few moment's later, he pulls his hand away and says "No way, there's just no way. It can't be him?"

"That's what I thought as well when I saw the image. Even our founders can't be sure of anything. All we do know is that they look alike, sound alike, and both can wield a Keyblade; albeit a different Keyblade from one another. Your mission is to go enter something called a Struggle Tournament that's being held in this Twilight Town and determine if he's HIM or not" says Saix.

"I got it" says Axel as he gets onto his feet. "So, when do I leave then?"

"Right now so you can register at what they call the Twilight Sandlot. Also, you'll need these" says Saix as he produces two chakram with foam rubbering on them. "As part of the rules, you'll need a special type of weapon in order to compete."

Axel takes them, then heads for the door; stopping just before it. "So, what do I do if it is him or not him?"

"Just return and give a report. Either way, I'm sure he'll be recruited by Xemnas's will. After all, we've been looking for a Key bearer for quite some time" says Saix. After a pause, he adds "And if it is him, then we may have found an alternate hope for our personal plans, Lea."

"Yeah" says Axel before leaving the room.


	4. Sunset's Twilight

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.4: Sunset's Twilight**

The Struggle Festival had come to a close, with Roxas rising as the new Struggle King for the next year. Now with only a day to go before the big end of summer beach party being held Saturday, the Usual Spot gang was seeking out an idea on what they could do to fill the dull Friday.

And to everyone's surprise, Hayner actually had a good idea.

"Check it out, guys" says Hayner, letting his three friends read the pamphlet he had brought with him.

"The Sunset Park Annual Scavenger Hunt?" asked Olette.

"Yeah, it's been a yearly tradition anyone who's anyone would want to give a try. Read below and see what I mean" says Hayner.

The threesome do as asked with Pence being the one to read aloud. "Seek out the seven hidden symbols scatter about for a chance to win a most desired prize. Solve the riddles written inside the pamphlet to fine the symbols and uncover their secret message. Rules dictate you must include the location you found the symbol at and what is hidden beneath to be rewarded for finding solving the riddle."

"Is it that simple?" asked Roxas, hearing of this scavenger hunt thing for the first time.

"It's harder than you might think" says Olette before explaining the finer points. "The mayor is the one who writes the riddles and he can be quite crafty in his writing them. In fact, I haven't heard of anyone figuring them out since he took office seven years ago."

"So there hasn't been a scavenger hunt winner in seven years then?" asked Roxas, getting a nod. "Is the prize really that great for him to make it so hard for everyone?"

"You better believe your butt it is" says Hayner. "The grand prize winner get to have any one wish granted by the mayor himself."

"Within reason, of course" quickly toss's in Pence. "After all, he can't grant miracles."

"Yeah, really otherwise I'd wish for no more school forever" joked Hayner.

"So what would YOU wish for then that he could grant?" asked Olette.

Hayner thinks about this for a moment, then grins as he eyes Roxas. "I'd ask him for a rematch with Roxas for the chance of becoming the Struggle King for this year."

"You're still sore you lost?" asked Roxas.

"You'd only lose again, Hayner. Especially if Roxas decides to dual wield those Struggle Bats again" says Pence.

"Well you won't know until you try" counters Hayner. "And what about you, anyways? What would you wish for, Pence?"

"Well. I'd ask if I could have a free years supply of Sea Salt Ice Cream so that way the four of us could snack on our favorite snack whenever we wanted, as much as we wanted" says Pence.

"Wow, that's a really nice thing you'd do for us" says Olette.

"Yeah, I guess that would be better than my wish" admits Hayner.

"Thanks guy. And what about you, Olette?" asked Pence.

Olette blush's and looks away, though Pence notices her eyes quickly looking at Roxas for quick moments before looking away again. "Sorry guys, but that's a secret" she says then giving them a wink. "And you, Roxas?"

"Actually, I'm not sure" he admits, his sad tone not going unnoticed by the others. "The one thing I would want to ask for is something I know the mayor couldn't grant me."

"Oh Roxas..."says Olette, placing her hand on his shoulder, knowing he was thinking of his memories.

Hayner's response is a little different; throwing him into a choke hold and saying "Stop being so depressing, man. You'll kill the mood."

"Hayner?" says Pence, sounding exasperated.

Roxas shakes his head, then smiles and says "No, he's right. Now's not the time to think about that. Let's go do that scavenger hunt. If nothing else, it'll be a fun way to spend the day, even if we don't can't win the scavenger hunt."

"Heh, now you're talking, man" says Hayner, letting Roxas out of the hold. The four friends then thrust their hands into the air, giving off an excited cheer before heading out to catch the train.

**(later that morning; Sunset Park)**

"Oh yeah, we're finally here" cheers Hayner as he steps off the train, throwing his hands into the air while cheering aloud.

"How about letting us get out before the train leaves?" asked Pence as Hayner was blocking them from advancing themselves. Once they were all outside the train, Pence ask "So, where should be begin?"

"Well, I was thinking we should split into two groups and see what we can find. It'll increase our chances considerably" says Hayner.

"That's a good idea, but why not each of us going off to search instead?" asked Roxas.

Hayner chuckles nervously as he pulls out a second pamphlet and says "Well, actually, I only grabbed two of them earlier. In hindsight, I should have grabbed four, huh?"

"Well, it can't be helped now, can it?" says Pence. "So unless we can find a stand with more of them to take, we'll have to do the two way split."

"Cool and I'm calling Pence as my partner" says Hayner.

"And why's that?" asked Olette, just curious.

"Because he's the smartest one among us" says Hayner. "Anyways, we'll go on ahead" he adds before shoving the second pamphlet into Roxas hand, then turns to run down the steps leading from the loading platform into the town itself.

"Guess we can't argue with him about that now. Good luck, guys" says Pence before following after Hayner.

Olette huffs while placing her hands on her waste, saying "While I do agree that Pence is the smartest member in the group, I still can't help but think we were just insulted though. Oh well, I'd rather be partnered up with you anyways, Roxas."

"Thanks, Olette" says Roxas.

Olette then moves to stand beside him, asking "So what's the first riddle then?"

Roxas opens the pamphlet and sees on one side the list of the seven riddles and on the other seven spaces made available to write down where they found the symbol as well as a stamp spot, likely meaning the symbol held a stamp they would need to use on the pamphlet as well.

"Let's see. It says..."Either up or down I climb, yet the number changes each time." Any ideas on what that means?" asked Roxas.

Olette repeats the riddle several times aloud while taking on a thinking pose, then sighs and says "I haven't the foggiest, to be honest. It just goes to show you the mayor can be really devious. And worse is the fact that as the first riddle, it's also the easiest to answer or so he would say anyways."

"Well, let's head down and into Sunset Park and maybe something will stand out we'll notice and make the connection with" says Roxas, getting a nod, then they both proceed to walk down the steps. "By the way, just how close has anyone ever come to winning this scavenger hunt anyways?"

"I think the closest was either three or four years ago. Someone managed to figure out the first four and came very close to getting the fifth riddle solved, only being off by a block I think."

As they turn a corner, they see Rai busy walking up and down the steps while Fu watches him from the bottom, appearing to be rather bored. "Man, the number just doesn't make sense, ya know. Each time I walk these steps, the number keeps changing, ya know?"

"Pointless" says Fu in her monotone way.

"Hey guys, are you here for the scavenger hunt too?" asked Roxas as he and Olette walk down to join them.

Rai turns around and says "Whoa, you can scare a cat by sneaking up like that, ya know?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that" says Roxas.

"No problem" says Fu.

"And no, we ain't here for that scavenger hunt, ya know. We just killing time while we wait for Seifer to get back, ya know?" says Rai.

"And where's Seifer at anyways?" asked Olette.

"Business" says Fu, not feeling the need to go into detail.

Rai then returns to his walk back up the steps and Roxas ask "What are you doing anyways, Rai?"

"Counting the steps, ya know. They keep changing with each walk, ya know" says Rai.

"You do know why that is, don't you?" asked Olette. "The designer did it deliberated, making each step having various length bricks placed down as steps, even shifting the patterned upon the same level to throw people off. I'm not sure why he did this but that's what I heard. Also, if you look at the step arrangement, you'll see what I mean."

Rai and Fu do as she suggest and they quickly see what she meant. The steps on one level stood out more than the steps next in the line and even saw how the length on one side differed from the one on the opposite side, each brick laid being a different length than the ones around it.

"Man, that's just freaky, ya know" says Rai.

"Good eye" says Fu, giving Olette an encouraging grin.

"Either up or down I climb, yet the number changes...wait, this must be the answer" says Roxas before looking around.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Roxas?" asked Olette as she and the others look at him.

"The riddle for the scavenger hunt. It said either up or down I climb, yet the number changes each time. I think it's referring to these steps here do to the way they're arranged making the number going up or down differ depending on how and where you step" says Roxas.

Olette thinks about then, then her eyes light up and says "Yeah, you're right. That was a brilliant deduction, Roxas."

"You should congratulate Rai instead of me. After all, he's the one who made me think of it with his counting quest" says Roxas.

Rai chuckles and rubs the back of his head, saying "Always glad to help."

"So, where do you think the symbol is?" asked Olette.

Roxas looks around, not seeing anything that stood out or looked like the symbol. Then he notices an odd color mixed in with the green of a bit of shrubbery placed along the steps. Walking over to it, Roxas push's the leaves and branches of the shrub to the side, finding the symbol at the end of a stick jabbed into the ground with a small box next to it. "Here, I found it."

Olette runs over and opens the box, finding a stamper and an ink dabber inside. She inks up the stamper and places it's green colored mark onto the pamphlet "OK, that's one down for us. So, what's the next one?"

"Let's see" says Roxas as he reads reads down the list. "In this corner, the ghost awaits. A mass of white to be thrown towards your space."

"So, any ideas?" asked Olette.

"I wish" says Roxas. "Let's just go look around and see what we can find."

Olette nods and they both run back down the steps, past Rai and Fu, and head off under the gate arch into Sunset Park.

"So, you think we should go with them?" asked Rai.

"No need" was Fu's response. Besides, she felt Olette would prefer it being just the two of them anyways right now and as her oldest friend, who was she to interfere unless the need arose.

For the next hour, Roxas and Olette did a very detailed search of the area beyond the station gate, looking for any sign of the symbol or anything that made them think of the riddle in the pamphlet But so far, nothing was sticking out to them. "Maybe we should either skip this one for now or head to another area? What do you think, Roxas?"

"Yeah, maybe you're...wait, have we checked that back alley over there?" asked Roxas, noticing a path leading into a darkened path.

"I don't think so?" says Olette.

"Then lets check there and if we can't find anything in there, then we'll just skip this one for later" says Roxas before walking into the alley with Olette right behind him. As the made their way through the alley, they fail to see anything relating to the riddle, but Roxas does spy another alley within the alley.

"Hm, I wonder where this one goes?" wonders Roxas as he turns and heads into the second alley, then is sent flying back as a large white ball comes flying out from the darkness, slamming him hard against his face.

"Roxas" cries Olette, running over to him as he sits up, rubbing his sore nose. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah..." he says, standing after another moment. "But what the heck was that?"

Olette kneels down and picks up the white ball and holds it out before herself. "I think its a volley ball. But what's it doing in a place like this?"

"Hey, my ball" comes the voice of Vivi as he comes waddling out from the second alley. He stops, seeing Roxas and Olette, and says "Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?"

"We're taking part in the scavenger hunt and came back here to look for clues. What about you, Vivi?" asked Olette.

"I was using this storage alley for some training" was Vivi's reply.

"Training? What kind of training?" asked Roxas.

"I throw the ball at the back wall as hard as I can, then see if I can dodge it as it rebounds back towards me. A lot of us kids come back here to try this...to help build up are reaction time" explained Vivi, then noticing the redness on Roxas face. "Oh no, don't tell me I hit you with my ball?"

"Don't worry about it. It didn't hurt at all" lied Roxas, who felt that it had actually hurt a lot. He was actually surprised Vivi could throw with such power. "You know, Vivi. If you keep practicing like this with throwing the ball, you just may have a shot at some major league baseball action when you get older."

"You think so?" asked Vivi, getting a nod from Roxas. "Thanks Roxas, that's a pretty nice thing to say. But I'm still sorry I hit you on the rebound. To be honest, it's a problem many of us have where we throw hard enough to send it back and nearly hitting someone, if not hit them outright. Luckily, there's a dumpster back here also we can hide behind when that happens."

An idea pops into Olette head as she shows Vivi the pamphlet and ask "Say Vivi, by any chance have you seen this symbol anywhere within the alley?"

Vivi looks to where's she's pointing, thinks for a moment, then says "Oh yeah, I did see something like that. Painted onto the dumpster I think."

"Then let's go check it out" says Roxas as he heads into the alley with Olette and Vivi following after him. Once they had reached the dumpster, Roxas looks it over and soon finds the container tucked back behind the dumpster and with some effort, Roxas pulls it free and they get their second stamp.

"Alright, two down and five to go" says Roxas as he and Olette high five each other.

"So, on to the next riddle then. Let's see..." she says before looking at what was next on the list. "Drip drop, beneath the ground your not. Drip drop, the sounds like ghost don't stop. Please tell me we're not going to a cemetery."

"I think the clue may be in the drip drop double usage in the riddle. Maybe the underground channel?" suggest Roxas.

"Yeah, good thinking, Roxas. Let's go check it out" says Olette.

Roxas nods as they go to move, but he stops and looks back at Vivi, asking "Hey, you wanna come with us? After all, it was because of you that we solved the second riddle."

Vivi shakes his head, saying "Thanks, but I'm going to stay here and train some more. Good luck with the hunt though."

After a final set of goodbyes, Roxas and Olette leave the alley and head off to the Under Tunnel Pathway. This Pathway was mainly used as a water drainage system for when there was a heavy raining falling to channel the rain water into the ocean. But it was also a means to allow people to travel between Twilight Town and Sunset Park without using the trains, though traveling the maze like passageway did take a good deal longer, assuming of course you didn't get turned around and lost inside.

And for the next forty minutes, the twosome explored the under path carefully, making sure not to get lost though this wasn't easy given the size and multitude of pathways one could walk into. Luckily, there was also a color coding layered upon the wall, alerting them as to when they were crossing over from Sunset Park's section into the Twilight Town proper section.

And then, they heard it. The ghost like sounds echoing through the underground. And the sounds come so suddenly that Olette latches onto Roxas while saying "Boy, that really is scary, huh?"

"Yeah" says Roxas, nodding. "I think it's coming from over here." He then leads her over into a solitary room where indeed, the echo's were at their loudest.

"Do you really think this place is haunted?" asked Olette.

Roxas doesn't answer right away, instead looking around and then taking notice of something. "Say, you don't think all those echo's are coming from above, do you?"

"Huh? What makes you think that?" asked Olette.

"Well, there are several water drainage grates located in this room alone and if my guess is correct, we're right under the main street of Sunset Park. People coming and going throughout the day, possibly chatting while doing so, might be hear-able down here like an echo which would make one think that it could be a ghost" explained Roxas.

After a moment of listening to the echo's a little more closely, Olette realizes that "You're right, it is just some sound reverberation coming from up above." She then breaths a sigh of relief while placing her free hand over her heart. "Boy, and here I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

Roxas grins at her, asking "So, you gonna let go of me now or what?"

Olette blush's, realizing she was indeed still holding onto him and quickly lets him go, moving away a few feet while trying to stammer something out, but not having much luck. Roxas laughs a little, then looks around and quickly spots the symbol painted below a low hanging drainage pipe. After walking up to it and digging inside, he finds the container with the next stamp inside.

Once they were back outside in Sunset Plaza, Roxas ask "So, what's next on this list?"

"Let me see" says Olette as she pulls the pamphlet back from her bag and reading it. "Reflect within me your true self, contained within a serene sea of flowers."

"Well, that narrows is down to...anywhere" says Roxas who had noticed there was a far amount of gardens and water fountains set up all over Sunset Park since their arrival.

"Wait, I think I have an idea" says Olette. "Have you ever heard of the six mysteries of Sunset Park?"

Roxas shakes his head, saying "First time actually. What about it?"

"Well, there have been six mysteries that have plagued Sunset Park for many years. And now that I think about it, we've visited three of them already. The mystery of the walking steps at the train station. The attacking ball in the back alley ways. And the ghost voices within the underground pathway. The other three speak of a ghost appearing within the fountain located inside New Bloom Garden, a mysterious bouncing bag at Sunset Watch, and a mystery train that pass's through the station."

"You don't think...?" asked Roxas.

Olette nods, saying "I wouldn't put it past the mayor to use the old mysteries as his source for the scavenger hunt. At the very least, we should have a look around."

"Alright, I guess we head to New Bloom Garden next" says Roxas as the run off.

It doesn't take them long to reach the Garden where they quickly look around, focusing mostly on the fountain. "I'm not seeing any symbol anywhere" admits Roxas.

"Me neither" agreed Olette. "Keep looking around here. I'm going to get a better view from a higher vantage point." And with that, she turns and heads out of the garden, looking for a way to get a a better look from above.

"Man, I was wondering when she'd give us some alone time" comes a familiar voice, making Roxas spin around to see Axel stepping out from a wall of flowers.

"Hey, it's you, Access. What are you doing here?" asked Roxas.

"My name's AXEL, not ACCESS. Got that memorized?" yells Axel.

"Oh yeah, sorry" says Roxas.

"Anyways, I came here because there was something I needed to talk with you about" says Axel, his tone becoming more serious.

"What is it?" asked Roxas.

"It's about you...and the Keyblade" says Axel.

"Huh? How do you know about the Keyblade? Axel, just who are you?" asked Roxas.

Meanwhile, Olette had made found some stairs, allowing her to get to a higher vantage point. She was about to yell out to Roxas, letting him know where she was when she sees Axel. "Hey, isn't that the guy Roxas battled in the first round?" Curious as to what was going on, she keeps silent and watch's them.

"Because I've encounter a Keybearer way back when, about ten years ago, give or take a few months. In many ways, you remind me of that guy. You have the same...look about you, feel about you" says Axel. "Besides, the fact you know kind of verifies my words based on your response."

"Anyways, as you already know, I am Axel. I'm am a member of a group called Organization XII. We're a group of people who...well, let's just say we're different from your average person. And we've been looking for someone like you, Roxas. We need your help to be honest."

"Like what, Axel?" asked Roxas.

"Sorry, I can't tell you now. Besides, I doubt I'd be able to properly explain it to you now anyways. That is something our leader would be better at. Just know that, as a Keybearer, you have a power few others have and it is a power that can change both the world and the lives of people in that world. But for right now, we have a more immediate threat" says Axel.

"And what would that be?" asked Roxas.

After a moment's pause, Axel ask "You've seen them, haven't you? You've seen the Heartless."

"The heart...less? Just what in the world is that?" asked Roxas.

"Creatures born from the deepest darkness, beings that crave hearts and will seek them out."

"They seek hearts and are born from darkness...wait" says Roxas as he recalls a few days back, he had found Olette being attacked by some shadow creatures. Above, Olette was thinking along the same lines as him. "You mean those shadow creatures are Heartless?"

Axel chuckles, then says "Funny you should call them shadow creatures as that is what the really are; the Shadows, the lowest and weakest of the Heartless that exist. And the very fact that you really have seen some means that time is likely running out for this world."

"OK, you need to start explaining all this to me" yells Roxas. "What do you mean that times running out for this world?"

Axel sighs, then says "When Heartless begin to appear in a world, it means the barrier that protects the world has begun to weaken. If left unchecked, they'll continue to appear in greater and greater numbers with even more powerful Heartless than just the Shadows. And soon, it will get so bad that the whole world will be sucked into the darkness, forever lost as they say and all the people will be turned into Heartless and continue the process into other worlds."

"No, it can't be. I won't let that happen" shouts Roxas.

"And how do you plan on stopping it?" asked Axel. "Until today, you knew nothing of the Heartless and even less about the Keyblade, the power of one's heart in a physical form. I bet you didn't even know that the Heartless is actually a heart that has been separated from it's body, having been transformed into that dark monstrous form and having forgotten it's truth, seek other hearts in an attempt to regain what it has lost when it is what it lost. Tell me, Roxas, how will you stop it?"

Roxas clench's his fist, glaring at Roxas for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know. No matter what I say, it doesn't change the fact that I just don't know."

Axel feels a pang of guilt for Roxas and walks forward, placing his hand on Roxas shoulder. "Cheer up, man. I, luckily, happen to know what to do. All we need to do is find the Keyhole."

Roxas looks up at him and ask "Keyhole?"

"Yeah, that's right. The Keyhole; or to put it a better way. The door that leads to the heart of this world. If we can find the key hole in question and you use that Keyblade of yours to seal it up, it will restore the world's barrier to full strength and the Heartless won't be able to appear here again."

"So there is hope. Please Axel, tell me where I can find this Keyhole?" asked Roxas.

"Actually, I have no idea myself. Though I can assure you that both me and my comrades are looking into it. As soon as we find it, we'll let you know so you can take action" says Axel.

"But do we have time though?" asked Roxas.

"Maybe? How many times have you encountered Heartless, Roxas?"

Roxas thinks about it, then says "Well, there was that one instance where I found them attacking my friend, Olette. And then there was that weird event when I found myself facing that giant one that was white/gray in color with a blue colored scarf on it."

"A...wait, are you saying you encountered a Twilight Thorn too?" asked Axel, getting an "I guess..." as an answer from Roxas, not sure what a Twilight Thorn was. Axel thinks for a moment, then says aloud to himself "Now why would they send..."

"Axel?" asked Roxas.

Axel shakes his thoughts from his head, then says "Never mind, don't worry about it. I can assure you that giant one wasn't a Heartless, but a Nobody."

"What's a Nobody?" asked Roxas.

"Nothing you need to worry about...not now anyways. Back to the matter at hand, if you've only encountered the Heartless once so far, then we have plenty of time to look before things get bad."

"I hope your right. So, what should I do until you and your friends can find it?" asked Roxas.

"I suggest you keep living your daily life in order to avoid making your friends worry. And if at all possible, keep this a secret from everyone as well. We don't want to scare them now, do we?" asked Axel.

Roxas shakes his head, saying "No, not really."

"But you should also keep your eyes open as well, Roxas. Look for anything that make have a shape similar to that of a key hole as the Keyhole of this world won't be something obvious or even of a regular key hole size. Also, I'm told you're Keyblade will resonate when close to one as well."

"I understand" says Roxas as he calls his Keyblade out.

"Well, I need to be getting back and see if anything has been found yet. I'll be back, Roxas" says Axel before turning and leaving.

Roxas allows the Keyblade to disappear again as he stands there, alone. Was what he had just been told true? If so, then he had a lot of work to do. "Roxas, did you find anything?" asked Olette as she comes running up to him.

"Huh? Oh, no. Sorry, I haven't seen anything. We should probably keep looking around, huh?" says Roxas before returning to looking.

"Say, Roxas..."

"Hm, what is it?" asked Roxas, looking back at her.

"Oh, nothing. It's nothing really. Well, we better get to work while the afternoon's still young" says Olette before looking around herself. She wanted to tell him that she had overheard everything Axel had said from above. But she also wanted Roxas to confide in her as well. And if he didn't feel comfortable doing so, then it wasn't her place to make him talk. But still, a thought did linger in the back of her mind. And that thought was if he trusted her or not?

After ten more minutes of looking, Olette found their target not in or around the fountain itself, but hidden within a side fountain placed upon the wall; just behind the stream of water falling down.

The next riddle; "Jump, jump, in inanimate bag goes. From the watch of the setting sun you'll know." As Olette had figured before, this one was located up upon Sunset Watch where long ago a group of kids had been freaked out by a mysterious jumping bag when had turned out to be a prank a friend was playing on them for a laugh. They found the next stamp hidden in a bush behind a bench.

The next riddle; "Oh ye aboard thy phantom rider, dare to take thy trip a-strider." This one had confounded Olette till she realized it may have been talking of the ghost train which had actually been Twilight Town's first automated train car, built nearly twenty years ago. Back then, no one was aware of it being automated and thus had led many to believe this train to be controlled by a ghost. And while all the trains now were automated, the original "ghost" train still existed, though it was now used to give tourist an explorer's view of the full Twilight Town experience via an hour long tour.

"If we hurry back to the station, we might catch it in time" says Olette as she and Roxas race back to catch their train.

It doesn't take them long to reach the station and after a moment of looking around, they spot their train, which stood out from the others with its weird coloring and design, on it's own special tour track. A moment later, the two of them had managed to run aboard and were looking around.

"Here it is" says Roxas as he reaches under one of the seats, pulling a box out. "And with this, we have six of seven."

"Great, now let's get the stamp and get off the train before..." says Olette, stopping as she hears the door sliding shut followed by a chime ringing out and the train beginning to move forward.

"We get to take a special tour of Twilight Town" says Roxas. It looks like they would be going no matter what. A few minutes later, the two of them had sit down as there wasn't anything better to do and Roxas was peering outside, making the most of their current situation. "So, will we being going all the way around back to Sunset Park?"

Olette shakes her head, saying "We'll make a stop off at Twilight Station, where we can get off if we want to." Roxas nods and what follows is a few minutes of quiet. In this time, Olette ponders if she should tell Roxas that she overheard his and Axel's talk. "Um...Roxas..."

"Say, what about that last riddle?" asked Roxas at the same moment. "If the first six where based on some old fables from Sunset Park, then what about the seventh?"

"Good question" says Olette, looking inside the pamphlet "Oh empty halls, echo's abound. Waiting for it's family to come around."

"O-K, so any ideas about that one?" asked Roxas.

Olette thinks for a moment, then says "It must be the seventh wonder then."

"The what?" asked Roxas.

"In addition to the six fables of Sunset Park, there's also a mystery back in Twilight Town itself, at the old mansion to be more specific. Together, they are known as the seven wonders in the twilight. And according to this one, people have often said they can see the form of a girl dressed in white standing at a window up on the second floor. But many have since come to believe that it's simply the drapes being blown around by wind, likely from a hole either in the wall or ceiling."

"Would it be a good spot to use for the scavenger hunt?" asked Roxas.

"Well, seeing as no one goes there these days, I would say so. Though it wouldn't be a practical one seeing as only the mayor has the key to get passed the front gate. So unless he unlocked it for today or if the box is outside the walls, we'll be pretty stuck" says Olette.

"Unless he just expects people to figure it's there" suggest Roxas.

"Maybe..." agreed Olette.

After another moment's pause, Roxas as "So, what were you going to say before?"

"Huh? Well, I...oh, nothing really" says Olette, having a case of cold feet.

"Hey, come on. Tell me" pleads Roxas.

Olette shakes her head and says "Nope...but maybe I'll tell you tomorrow. When we're at the beach or after. So just wait till then, OK."

"Sure thing" says Roxas before turning back to looking outside the train.

Olette sighs, wishing she had more of a backbone right now. But it would be OK, she knew it. After all, she would tell him that she knew tomorrow when the chance arose...along with another thing she had been wanting to tell him for some time too.

After a while, they finally arrived at the station. By now, the sun had started to set so they wasted no time in heading out into the forest and soon found themselves standing outside the old mansion again.

"Do you think those thing's are still around here?" asked Olette.

"I don't know, but if they are..." says Roxas as he holds his hand out, summoning forth his Keyblade. "I'll give them a good thrashing." They then begin to look around for the scavenger box and Roxas was glad Olette had brought up the Heartless attack as it gave him an excuse to call out his Keyblade to see if it would react to this hidden keyhole Axel had spoken of. Little did Roxas know was that Olette had also thought that, which is why she had brought it up, though she was also worried about more Heartless appearing too.

"No sign of it" she says.

"And the gate's locked tight too" adds Roxas. "I guess it was just about guessing the clue location correctly, unless we were wrong about it."

"I guess we should go turn it in then and see what he has to say" says Olette, already turning to leave.

"Yeah..." says Roxas as he goes to follow, but the Keyblade suddenly jerks in his hand, aiming itself at the lock upon the gate. Roxas, and Olette as she turns back from hearing his surprised voice, can only watch in stunned surprise as a light glimmers on the tip of the key, then shoots out like a beam, hitting the lock and causing it to be released.

"Roxas, what did you do?" asked Olette.

"It wasn't me, but my Keyblade" he says as he walks up and presses on the gate, finding it easy to open. "I guess this thing can unlock any lock it's used on, regardless of it's size or shape."

"Should we go inside and look around?" asked Olette.

Roxas shakes his head and says "No, since I doubt we'll find anything seeing as it was locked before." He then shuts the gate back up then walks over to Olette. Let's just write down that we came here and see what the mayor has to say."

"Yeah, good idea" agreed Olette.

As they walk back into the forest, Roxas ask "By the way, why do we have an old mansion here anyways? Did someone important use to live here?"

"I don't really know myself. But I remember reading one time that there use to be this prominent family that lived here in Twilight Town. But the family was devastated by tragedy nearly twenty years ago or so. The mother and the father were killed in an accident, leaving behind their two children; brothers. The older, they say, ran away while the younger was left alone and was soon taken under the tutelage of some older man who was passing through. They left and were never seen again" explained Olette.

"Such a sad story" says Roxas, allowing himself to look back one last time at the mansion. Weird though, he thought. Why did this place make him feel lonely all of a sudden?

As they reenter Twilight Town's Market Plaza, Olette looks at him and ask "Say Roxas, I feel like we're forgetting something..."

**(meanwhile, back over in Sunset Park)**

"Roxas, Olette, what's taking you guys so long?" yells Hayner as he and Pence sit patiently at the terminal, waiting for their friends to return. Well, Pence was sitting while Hayner was standing and pacing around like a mad man.

"Maybe they had better luck than we did" says Pence, looking at their nonexistent stamp collection for the pamphlet"

Meanwhile, Vivi had arrived and was standing next to Fu as they both watched Rai finish walking back down the steps for the thousandth time. "The count still isn't making any sense, ya know?"

Vivi and Fu look at one another and both saying in agreement "Idiot."

**to be continued...**

**AN:** A reply to my **guest reviewer**. Sorry, but I can't grant your wish for Roxas to NOT join the Organization in this fic as becoming a member of their group, even if only for a time, is needed in order for Roxas to be properly introduced to it's members in a proper way, to say nothing of Xion.

Having said that, I can also say his time with the Organization won't be for the remainder of this fic, but instead just for fifteen or so chapters (maybe a few more if it's needed) before he leaves them and meets up with some important KH characters.

And one last thing. I'm sure you all know Xion's story from 358/2 Days. Well, forget it as this version will have something different where she's concerned. I can't say what it is now, but I'll give you a hint and say that instead of being a Replica of Sora (yet looking like Kairi with black hair), she will instead be more like another character from the KH storyline. Who? Well, you'll find out by the end of the Xion and the Organization arc which begins in chapter 6.

But I'll give you a shout out cookie if you can guess correctly though, in the chapter the reveal happens.


	5. When the Darkside Comes

The calm of the ocean gave off a quiet, serene feeling. All around, an endless blue. But if you squinted your eyes just a bit, you would see the faintest hint of land off in the distance and maybe even the etchings of Twilight Town, which stood upon that land's very edge.

A ripple pass's over the waves, originating from one who was walking atop the surf. "This world has been connected, soon to become fully eclipsed within the darkness, unless he rises up and takes action."

The figure then produces a metal vial from his coat and pops the cap off, then turning it on its side to allow the liquid contents to pour out from within. Upon hitting the water, a series of ripples arise from the contact point followed by an eerie glow while dark storm clouds begin to form above. "Of course, a little push never hurt either..."

Thunder rumbles as he returns the vial to a pocket, then he spreads his arms wide while proclaiming outwards "Now, all the pieces are in place. All that's left is to set back and use the pawns to help capture the knight..."

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.5: When the Darkside Comes...**

"OH YEAH, now this is what I'm talking about" shouts Hayner as he and the others finally arrive at the beach, seeing plenty of other people having already arrived and claimed their own spots. "The surf, the sun, and...all those hot girls in the bikini's too. Watch out world, cause Hayner has arrived."

Pence walks up, a towel draped over his shoulder and around his neck, and says "So, you think there's any good spots left for us to set up shop in?"

"I'm sure if we hurry, we'll find something good" says Olette, wearing an orange one piece with her towel being both wrapped up and neatly held against her chest, feeling a little shy with all the guys around and glad she had chosen to wear this over that two piece she had bought before, even if the one piece was a little tight on her now when compared to last year.

"Hey, what about over there?" suggest Roxas, seeing a descent sized spot still unclaimed.

"That'll work" says Hayner before breaking into run. "Last one there's a rotten egg."

"And now we know what we can expect from him today" says Pence with a sigh, knowing that Hayner was going to somehow embarrass them in some fashion, though he then realizes that act was unavoidable. He then runs off after him.

Roxas and Olette follow as well, but they decide to walk rather than run in order to keep from getting heat exhaustion. Plus, Hayner had voted Roxas to carry the large umbrella so they could have a shady cool spot to relax under...well, more like forced.

"Say, Roxas...?" says Olette, speaking up suddenly.

"Hm? What's up?" he asked, looking at her.

"Well, I was wondering...maybe a little later, you and I, just the two of us...could..." says Olette, planning on asking him if they could sneak off later and head over to the light house for some privacy.

She knew they had already planned on going there tomorrow anyways to help Roxas finish up his home work, by doing the essay portion of it, but she wanted today to be special. Today, she was going to go ahead and let him know that she had overheard his and Axel's talk. She was also going to return to him something she had that she'd been meaning to return for some time, but hadn't. And, she was going to tell him something she considered the most important of all; how she felt about him.

Roxas is curious as to what she's going to say, but something catch's his eye and makes him look back towards Hayner and Pence. "Oh no..."

Seeing that his gaze had shifted, Olette looks towards the direction he was looking, asking "What is...oh no."

Oh no was right as Hayner was having a squabble with Seifer as the both of them had arrived at the open spot at the exact same moment and only took notice of each other as they were throwing the large sheet down to rest upon the sand.

"Sorry, loser, but we got here first" says Seifer.

"Whatever man, we saw it first and thus have the first claim" throws back Hayner.

"What did you say?" says Seifer in a more menacing tone as he and Hayner's heads collide in some weird showing of power.

"I think you know what I said" was the reply.

"Oh man, a rumble on the beach, ya know" says Rai excitedly.

Pence, meanwhile, raises his hands up, trying to defuse the situation. "Now, now guys, can't we just share the spot. I mean, it is big enough for the both of us and..."

"NO" shout both Hayner and Seifer in unison, looking at him quickly enough with faces that would make anyone shrink back.

"OK, OK, I'll keep quiet then" says Pence, backing away as the two boys return to their point blank range stare off.

Fu, who was wearing a two piece, looks to see Olette and Roxas walking up and moves to join them, saying "Children", a comment on how Seifer and Hayner were acting.

"We better do something, or else those two will get us thrown off the beach" says Olette, knowing that any serious problems would bring the beach patrol and with them, even more trouble.

"I have an idea, I think..." says Roxas before stepping forward and placing his hands on both Hayner and Seifer's heads, pushing them apart.

"What's the deal, Roxas?" shouts Hayner.

"Are you looking for a fight or something?" adds Seifer.

"Look guys, instead of butting heads all day long, why not settle this in a more productive way" suggest Roxas.

"We're listening" they both say in unison again.

"You know, it's eerie how they can be so against one another yet have such great unison in their words and thinking patterns when the need arises" notes Pence, getting a nod from Rai.

"Well, since we're at the beach and all, why not make a series of challenges to make the most of it. You know, settle your rivalry once and for all...at least for this year anyways. We can have a surfing competition, a volley ball match, build a sand castle, and other such beach activities" says Roxas.

"Hey, that sounds like a good idea" says Hayner.

Seifer grins and says "I can work with all of that...just as long Hayner's ready to lose each one."

"We'll see who does the more losing today" says Hayner before the two boys do something no one expects; the fist pump with one another.

Olette looks at Fu and says "You know, those two would likely be each others best friend if only their personalities didn't keep getting in the way."

"Agreed" says Fu.

"OK, so what do we do first?" asked Hayner.

Seifer looks out towards the ocean and says "It may be to soon for the surfing contest, seeing as the waves aren't that good yet."

"How about doing the sand castle building now" suggest Rai, getting their attentions. "Then we can not only see who has the better design but then we can test to see which one stays intact the longest, ya know."

"Works for me" says Seifer.

"Yeah, let's do this" agreed Hayner.

"OK, you boys go ahead and get started while me and Fu go find some buckets to help build them with" says Olette, then both girls turn and head to the stands to see if there were in buckets available.

"Today's going to be a good day, I can just feel it" says Roxas as he fun finally began.

What followed was some of the best several hours both groups had ever had. Starting with the sand castle building contest, the Usual Spot gang ended up coming out the winners by default do to Rai tripping over himself and falling on to his team's castle, destroying it. Though, in truth, the winners would have been the Usual Spot gang anyways do to it's design which came from Roxas.

"That's pretty impressive, ya know" said Rai.

"I have to admit; that does beat ours...or it would have had ours not been smashed" agreed Seifer who then shoots Rai a look saying he was going to be working hard to repent.

"Yeah, we just followed Roxas idea and instructions" says Hayner.

"By the way Roxas, where did you get the idea for this design anyways?" asked Pence.

"I'm really not sure?" he admitted. "It just came to me, to be honest."

"We should give it a name" said Olette. Seeing the others looking at her like she was crazy, she shrugs and says "What?"

"How about...Radiant Garden?" asked Roxas.

"Fitting" says Fu, getting a nod from Olette.

"Anyways, let's move on to the volley ball challenge now" says Seifer.

"Sure, but where will we do it at?" asked Hayner as he looks around. "I don't see any nets set up for volley ball that aren't being used already."

"Not a problem" says Seifer as he snaps his fingers. Immediately, Rai and Fu suddenly produce the needed net from out of thing air and quickly begin to set it up.

"Where do you think they were hiding those at?" wondered Pence.

"I'd rather not know, personally" said Roxas, getting an agreeing nod from Olette.

After the net had been set up, the game begin though they needed to have a ref overseeing them. And since the Usual Spot gang had one more member than the Disciplinary Committee had, Pence was elected to stand off to the side and referee the whole thing, which he was fine with.

The game, which was fast and intense, would ultimately end with Seifer's crew getting the overall win with six wins to the five wins the Usual Spot gang got. The sixth win being from a sudden death match to break the tie in the ten round game. But the big highlight had been from Seifer nailing Hayner full force with a volley ball. Though it had been a penalty, he grinned and said it was worth it.

After that, they had all went out into the water, spending the next half hour just swimming around and splashing each other. There had been a fun moment with Fu when she had made Roxas put some sun tan lotion onto Olette while the other guys had their focus placed elsewhere.

Now came the time for the surfing contest, though by this point, the competition aspect had more or less been forgotten as both groups were having to much fun now to care. The boys ended up getting themselves some surf boards while the girls took a chance to sit back and work on getting a good sun tan.

"Ah...this is nice, isn't it?" asked Olette, enjoying just laying back and feeling both the sun and the breeze on her body.

"Amazing" says Fu; taking Olette to realize she wasn't saying that in agreement with her.

Olette sits up and looks in the direction she was, seeing Roxas smoking the others at surfing. "Whoa, he's amazing. A real natural. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a professional surfer before."

"Attraction" says Fu, making Olette turn to her with a mad blush on her cheeks.

"Wait, don't tell me you...?"

Fu looks to her and sticks her tongue out. "Teasing" she says which makes Olette turn away in a huff. After a moment, Fu decides to say "Tell him."

"I planning on telling him" says Olette as she looks back. "In fact, I need a favor from you..."

Meanwhile, out on the water, Hayner and Rai both did a double wipe out when the collide with one another as a result of both not paying attention. Seifer, who was doing almost as good as Roxas, comes up close to him and says ""I worry about those two sometimes."

"I worry about the rest of us, to be honest" says Roxas, getting a chuckle from Seifer.

"Hey guys" comes Pence as he comes up right along side them, though he was more body surfing than standing on the board. "I think Fu's signaling us."

"Yeah, you're right" says Roxas.

"Let's go see what's up" says Seifer as the three of them head back to the shore.

After they arrive, and waited another five minutes to be joined by Hayner and Rai, Seifer ask Fu "What is it?"

"Snack time" says Fu as Olette comes running back up to join them with a large plate with both watermelon slices and drinks for all of them.

"Alright, I was getting hungry and thirsty" says Hayner as they all set down to eat their own personal slices.

Once they were done, Rai looks around, then ask "So, what do we do now, ya know?"

"Boys" says Fu as she gets up, drawing their attention.

As everyone waits to see what she was going to say, Roxas feels a tap on his shoulder and looks back to see Olette having already stood up as well with a finger dancing over her lips, giving him the quiet notion. She then reach's down, grabs his hand, and pulls him to his feet, making him following her without anyone, save Fu, being any wiser to their sudden departure.

Fu watch's till they had blended into the crowd, then back at the remaining guys who had gotten up, and were getting tired with waiting on her to say something. She then turns and points to the ocean. "Sea shell collection challenge."

"A what?" asked Hayner.

"I think she means let's see which of us can find the most impressive looking sea shell" translates Pence.

"Why not" says Seifer before running back towards the water, looking back long enough to add "Not like we have anything better to do."

"Well, if your in, then I am too" says Hayner as he follows after.

"Don't leave me behind, ya know" yells Rai, giving chase as well.

"Well, we better go to and make sure those three don't drown, right...Roxas? Olette?" says Pence, looking back and realizing neither one of them were still here.

Fu comes moves back behind him, then gives him a push while saying "Privacy needed."

Pence looks back at her, nods, and says "I gotcha" before running after the others who were now diving back into the waters.

Fu watches them swim out for a moment, then turns to look in the direction Roxas and Olette had gone and says "Good luck."

Just then, a horn sounds out and the voice of the mayor comes on. "Attention beach goers, I hope you are all enjoying yourselves out there on this beautiful day. Just to let you know, we just received a report from a fishing boat that we have a storm coming in from the east. However, at it's current speed of movement, it won't be arriving till later tonight. Still, in case anything changes, be prepared to pack up and head back to the train station. Thank you for your time, have fun, and stay safe."

Fu turns her attention back the the ocean waves and squints her eyes while bringing a hand up to help stop the glare of the sun. At the very tip of the horizon, nearly invisible to the naked eye, was a glint of the dark storm clouds the mayor had just reported. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a party pooper today.

**(with Roxas and Olette)**

After taking Roxas hand and making a run for it, Olette made a beeline straight towards the old lighthouse, knowing that it would be more or less deserted at this time of day. Once leaving the sea of gathered people on the beach, passing into a tunnel and soon enough emerging on a more isolated area of the beach and soon there after, arriving just outside the lighthouse.

"Hey, what's up, Olette?" asked Roxas, taking a moment to catch his breath from the sudden and unexpected sprint.

Olette, feeling nervous and starts fidgeting with her fingers, says "Well, you see...I...well..." she then blush's madly as she spins around all embarrassed as the butterflies in her stomach go into overdrive.

"Oh, I'm not sure I can say it after all" she says.

She then feels Roxas bring his arms around her waste, drawing her back against him, his breath upon her left ear as he says "That's OK. I'll just say it first."

"Roxas?" she says, surprised; her blush rising in intensity from such close proximity to him.

"For the longest time, I've been thinking about you, a lot. Seeing you in my dreams at night, not as a friend, but something more. Olette, I really like you" he says, his words taking her breath away and making her heart skip multiple beats.

"Oh Roxas, I really like you to, both as a friend and so much more. I've been wanting to tell you for so long, but I..."

He brings a hand up and presses a finger against her lips to silence her, then says "It's alright. I was scared you would reject me too. But now, neither of us need be afraid anymore." He then turns her around to look him in the eyes so he could ask "What do you say we make this a moment a day that we'll never forget?"

"Yes..." she agreed, her voice soft and trance like as his face drew closer to hers, his lips closing in on her own. _'Roxas...'_

"Oh Roxas, you're so bold and cool. I love it" says Olette in a giddy tone as her mental fantasy sends her hopping happily in a circle.

"Um...Olette, you feeling OK?" asked Roxas, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder to get her attention and show his concern.

Olette eeps as Roxas touch brings her back to reality, then she looks back and says "Roxas? Wait, I thought we were...oh, it was just a day dream. RATS!" Olette then shanty's over to a large stone and sits down on it. "Give me a moment to rest, Roxas."

Roxas walks over to her, asking "You sure your OK?"

She looks at him, nods, then says "Yeah, I'm fine. My knees are feeling a little like mush right now."

"Gotcha" says Roxas as he looks around, taking note of the storm clouds off in the distance.

With Roxas attention distracted elsewhere, Olette takes a moment to dig into the mini pouch she was wearing around her waste, pulling out the heart shaped center of the object she had found along with Roxas a year before which she clasp strongly in her hand.

"We've experienced a lot together since you came into my life...well everyone's lives here in Twilight Town, huh?" asked Olette.

Roxas looks back at her, saying "Yeah, we have, haven't we. Especially in this week alone."

Olette nods at that, then says "I'm glad you're here now with us, Roxas. I...I honestly can't imagine life here in Twilight Town now without you here in it."

"Thanks Olette. Hearing you say that means a lot to me" says Roxas.

Olette nods, then she gets up, bringing her hands to rest behind her back, now feeling ready to really tell him. "Roxas, the truth is, I...I really..."

"Hey, Roxas, finally found you" comes a voice, making them both turn and see Axel standing higher up, atop the lighthouse.

"Huh, Axel? Why are you here?" asked Roxas as Axel jumped down to join them.

Beside him, a vein pops up on Olette's head as she says in an annoyed tone "Should of known this would happen, though I wasn't expecting it to come from him."

As Axel runs up to join them, he noticed Olette's face and says "Hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Oh no, nothing important at all" says Olette in a sarcastic tone. _'Only one of the most important moment's in a young girls life that is.'_

"Glad to hear that as I have news for you" says Axel, becoming more serious.

"What is it?" asked Roxas.

"We found it, this world's Keyhole" says Axel.

This gets both Roxas and Olette on alert and making the latter forget her annoyance with Axel. "Where is it?" asked Roxas.

"At that big clock back in town. Not sure where on it, but we can feel a strong power coming from it and we assume it has to be the world's door" says Axel.

"Then we need to get over there as soon as possible and search, huh?" asked Roxas, getting a nod from Axel before they both head off towards the train station. Remembering that Olette was with them, Roxas stops and looks back, seeing her following. "I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?"

"Not really" says Olette, stopping next to him. "Truth be told, I overheard you two talking yesterday. Now, let's go find the Keyhole so you can seal it."

"Yeah..." says Roxas as they then run after Axel who had stopped and was waiting on them.

"By the way, why didn't your Keyblade react to it sooner, when the four of us were there after the Struggle Tournament?" asked Olette.

"Maybe because I didn't have it physically out at the time? What do you think, Axel?" asked Roxas.

"That's what my explanation would be" was Axel's response, his words suddenly being followed by a strong thunder clap and a powerful blast of wind coming from the ocean.

"Wha..." says Roxas as he stops and looks to the skies, seeing the dark storm clouds he had seen just a few minutes before in the distance were now hanging across the full sky above them. "How did...it get here so fast?"

"Roxas..." says Olette, taking hold of his arm. "Something doesn't feel right about this."

Axel, for his part, is looking around when a beeping sound arises from his pocket. Pulling out a cell phone like device, he flips it open and says "Axel here...what? You have got to be kidding me?"

"What's wrong?" asked Roxas while a siren sounds in the distance.

"That's the evacuation siren, meant to alert everyone that they need to leave the beach immediately" says Olette, knowing Roxas wouldn't know what the siren meant.

"This is bad, this is very, very bad" says Axel as he looks out to the ocean.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Roxas, noting the fear present in Axel's tone.

Axel looks at him, his eyes wide, as he says "It's here, the worst possible kind of Heartless to have show up in a world..."

"A Darkside!"

**(back on the main beach, with the others)**

"Whoa, those storms clouds came rolling in quick, ya know" says Rai as thunder rumbled overhead.

"Hey, Roxas? Olette? Can you guys here me?" yells Hayner as he frantically looks around for either of them. "Man, those two picked a bad time to run off on us."

"Hayner, I'm sure they heard the storm warning alarm just as we did seeing as it can be pretty loud. They may have already made a beeline for the station, assuming we'll be there waiting for them. It's the most sensible conclusion anyways" says Pence.

"I don't know..." says Hayner, not sure if they should go or keep looking a little longer.

"If they aren't there and haven't been seen, then we'll fan out and look for them then" offers Seifer which gets a nod of agreement from Hayner. Pence found it funny though. As often as those two seemed to be at each others throats, they could be quite agreeable when push came to shove.

As the guys turn to run towards the station along with the other fleeing beach goers, Fu sees a huge spout of water burst from the ocean, followed by a low moaning sound which makes everyone stop and look back to see what was causing it. "There" she yells as a massive black thing begins to rise up.

The sight of the creature makes many scream in terror while others, having suddenly lost all strength in their legs, collapse onto the ground, unable to move. "No way. What the heck is that thing?" yells Hayner.

"Who knows, but that thing's already crossing the line" says Seifer.

"Oh yeah, Seifer's totally going to go out there and own it, ya know?" shouts Rai, getting a dirty look from his boss which makes him slink back.

"Don't be an idiot" he says before looking back at the beast as it begins to move towards the beach. "There's no way anyone can fight something like that..."

**(back with Roxas, Olette, and Axel)**

"What's a Darkside?" asked Olette.

"A Heartless; one of the most powerful too. If a Darkside can already appear here, then that means this world's barrier has already weakened to near the breaking point. If we don't do something, it'll come ashore and head straight for the Keyhole. And if it can get there, then this world screwed. Got it memorized?"

"So, what do we do then?" asked Roxas.

"Guys, it's heading towards the beach" yells Olette, seeing it moving forward.

Axel growls as he returns to his communicator. "Hey Saix, I'm going to need two Wave Surfer's sent here, pronto...what? Only one, why? She did WHAT? Fine, just send the one then...and hurry." Axel then returns his communicator to his pocket and waits.

Which wasn't very long as a few moment's later, a burst of gray colored light appears before them, followed by a long, knife shaped device appears with a flat top with enough room for a person to stand on; hovering off the ground. Axel places his hand on it, then looks at Roxas, and says "Get on."

"Huh?" says Roxas.

"You're going out there to defeat that thing. That's what you Keaybearer's do after all" says Axel.

For a moment, Roxas just stands there, mentally debating if winning against THAT was even possible. Then he realizes that Axel is right and a determined look comes into his eyes as the Keyblade appears in his hand. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Wait, why does it have to be Roxas?" asked Olette, her voice clearly indicating her fear for him. "He's never battled something like that thing before, plus he's never ridden on one of these either."

"Well, I did fight that Twilight Thorn and won. How much harder can this guy be?" says Roxas.

"That's not the point here, Roxas. You idiot, don't you realize you could..." Olette stops there, unable to continue. She then looks at Axel and ask "Can't you fight it instead? You must have more experience with thing's like that than Roxas does."

"Yeah, I do have more experience. But experience alone won't be enough to guarantee success here. Besides, Roxas has something I don't; the Keyblade. As much as I hate to say it, his chances are far better than mine out there" says Axel, wishing that was a lie but it wasn't as he would gladly do it.

"Maybe so, but..." says Olette, but is stopped as Roxas places his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Olette. I promise I'll defeat that thing and I promise I'll come back too. So wait here for me so I have a place to return to. As long as you believe in me, I know I can do it" says Roxas.

Olette tears up, saying "Oh Roxas..." She then smiles as she takes his hand that rested on her shoulder into her own and presses it against her cheek. "I will, I'd wait forever if I had to. Just come back to me. That's all I could ever ask."

"Yeah..." he says before turning back to Axel.

"OK, listen up Roxas. See these two arrows?" Axel then points to the arrow near the front and then the one facing opposite near the back. "Putting pressure onto them will move you forward or backwards; the more pressure equals more speed. Press both together to stop. Moving it side to side should be no harder than moving a surf board. Got it memorized?"

Roxas nods as he hops on, saying "Easy as eating sea salt ice cream."

"Good to hear" says Axel, before glancing at Olette. "I'll keep an eye on her and while I'm at it, I'll keep an eye on the other people here too; just in case any smaller Heartless show up on the beach. I may not have much of a chance against a Darkside, but I can at least slice and dice a few Shadows."

"Thanks, Axel" says Roxas as he prepares to head off.

"Roxas..." comes Olette, making him turn towards her. But before he can say anything, he finds himself being wrapped in a tight hug as Olette had jumped onto the board as well. "You better come back to me. And when you do, I'll have a special reward for you."

"Then I better hurry and finish this guy then, huh?" says Roxas as Olette pulls away and gives him a nod before hopping down. Roxas then presses down hard on the forward facing arrow, rocketing off towards the Darkside.

"Hey, Roxas" shouts Axel. "Focus on it's hands and face, if you can get up there. Also, it can fire off a ball of spectral energy from the hole around it's stomach too." Roxas looks back long enough to nod before returning to the task at hand. "Come on, girl. We better head over to join the others."

"My name isn't girl; it's Olette. Got it memorized, Access?" says Olette, jokingly.

Axel looks at her for just a moment, then cracks a smile, saying "I think you and I will get along great. Now let's go join the other Twilighter's." Olette nods as they both run off, neither really noticing that another person was watching them; a person who then speaks into a device similar to Axel's, saying...

"Wait for my signal."

Back at the main beach, Fu sees movement heading towards the Darkside, prompting her to say "Look."

"What is that?" says Hayner.

"Guys, I think it's Roxas" says Pence.

"He's going to face that thing?" says Seifer, finding the idea incredulous. He then smiles, saying "I knew there was something about him I liked. Something about him always ticked me off, but it was always in a good way. And now I know what it is..."

It had taken Roxas a few moments to get use to riding on this Wave Board, but not long seeing as it was a lot like surfing, only on the air. He brings his Keyblade to the ready as he closes in on the Darkside, the giant finally taking notice of him as it raises it's right arm back, then sends it swinging down at him.

Roxas swings his Keyblade hard in an upward arc, making contact with the Darkside's hand, deflecting it away from him and causing a low moan to come from the creature; obvious feeling the blow Roxas had landed on it which did surprise him a bit given their difference in size. He figures that the Keyblade really was the best weapon to use against these things.

Roxas finish's passing the Darkside, then leans towards the right in order to bring the Surfer around for another attack while the Darkside, also turns back in his direction while a ball of dark spectra flame arises from the heart shaped hole upon it's abdomen; the ball releasing smaller volley's of it's self that head right for Roxas.

Roxas manages to dodge the first three easily, but finds himself unable to dodge the fourth, though he luckily finds he could swat it away using the Keyblade. And then the biggest of the flames fires at him to which Roxas leaps from the Surfer, allowing him to safely sail over it and land back on the board as the battle continues.

Back on the beach, more and more people had caught wind of the fight and had returned to watch. "Can anyone tell how's Roxas is doing out there?" asked Hayner. "I can't see anything good from here."

Fu reach's into her backpack and fish's out some binocular's, then looks into them, saying "He's winning."

"Of course he is" says Olette, having not doubt in her words. "Roxas is out there right now, fighting. Fighting for all of us. There' no way he'll lose."

"She's right" says Pence, knowing that Olette knew what she was talking about.

"Guys, it's getting rather misty out here, ya know" says Rai suddenly. "Colder too" he adds as the air indeed begins to become foggier, a shroud of mist suddenly rising up from without warning. And with the mist came an unusual cold as well.

"Another monster?" asked Seifer, wishing he had brought something to fight with. And then a sound catch's his ears; all of their ears. "And now music too?"

They all begin to look around as a pink flower petals also begin to dance through the air. "Pretty?" wonders Fu as she catch's one in her hand.

"Is this...?" wonders Axel who was standing a few feet away from them. Why didn't they tell him about this? What was it they were planning.

Olette suddenly finds her head beginning to hurt and she brings her hand up to rest against it. She looks back out towards the ocean, where Roxas was still fighting while feeling that something was trying to force it's way into her mind for some reason. And then, she found her thoughts and feelings where Roxas was concerned were being changed.

"No...don't...stop it, don't...take those feelings...a...way..."

Back out in the ocean, Roxas had managed to avoid some rather close calls as the Darkside had gotten better and better at nearly landing a hit on him, with both its hands and those spectral flames. But then, without warning, it had suddenly lost interest in him and was turning its attention back towards its advance towards the shore, where he could now see some weird fog having risen up.

"Oh no, not good" he says, hoping that everyone was OK and that Axel was protecting them. He needed to get back there though, but first he had to finish up with the big guy. Simply attack its hands was getting anywhere fast, so he would go for its head.

"Strike Raid" yells Roxas, flinging the Keyblade at the Darkside's back, the strike making it go rigid as it spins back into his hand. He then races past it and turns back towards it again.

Darkside, having become annoyed in Roxas opinion, as it lash's out with its hands. But instead of being hit, Roxas leaps off the board again and lands on it's right wrist to which he then runs as fast as he can up the creatures arm to it's shoulder. Darkside brings its left arm up in an attempt to grab him but Roxas escapes its attempt by jumping from the right shoulder over to its left arm, then running along it a few steps till he was lined up with the Darkside's face. He then braces the Keyblade while leaping forward.

"This world...WILL NOT FALL" yells Roxas, thrusting the Keyblade forward, sending it in deep, right between the Darkside's eyes. A low bellow erupts from the beast as the Keyblade grows brightly, causing a swelling of darkness to blast out from it's body before it is consumed by light, releasing what must have been a hundred glowing hearts from its form and sending Roxas falling back into the ocean.

He emerges a few moments later, seeing the last of the hearts fading away into the sky, and allows himself a moment to smile. "I did it? I did it. I actually did defeat that thing" says Roxas, feeling some measure of pride swelling up within himself. Then he recalls the fog upon the beach, restoring his worries over his friends. So he swims over to the Surfer, climbs back on, and heads back as quick as he could.

As he approached the beach, he could see the fog fading away as well as everyone seemingly still OK. Had the Darkside been responsible for that fog? An attempt on its part to distract him? He would have to ask Axel about that later. And as he arrives Axel is quick to move over to join him.

"So, how did I do, Axel?" asked Roxas, jumping from the surfer to stand on the beach.

"Praise later. Right now, we need to get you back to that clock tower and find the Keyhole before another Darkside appears" says Axel as he jumps on the Surfer.

"Right..." says Roxas as he goes to hop on, but stops when he realizes that Olette, Hayner, and the rest had made a move towards him yet. In fact, all of them had an odd look on their face; like they were scared of something.

"Sorry guys, I have to go doing something" says Roxas as he takes a step forward. "But once I seal the..."

His words are cut off as he sees everyone, Olette included, suddenly back away. "Guys...Olette, what's wrong?"

Olette looks away, unsure of what to say. "Roxas, please don't come any closer."

"Huh?" he says, not expecting this reaction from anyone; her especially.

A voice rings out from the crowd; a voice he didn't recognize. "It must be his fault. I told you letting an outsider we knew nothing about come live here was a bad idea."

Mummers begin to rise up within the crowd as more people saying similar things; talking about how odd stuff would seem to happen whenever Roxas was around; though Roxas couldn't recall ever hearing anything like that before. That he was a bad omen because of how he came to them. And other, equally negative things soon began to escape the people's lips.

"Wait, everyone. I don't...I don't understand..." says Roxas.

"Leave" says Fu suddenly, getting many in the crowd to start shouting this as well.

"But..." says Roxas.

"Can't you hear us? We want you gone, Roxas. It's because of you that thing came here, isn't it? How can we be sure more won't come if you stay" shouts Hayner, a surprising amount of venom present in his voice.

Pence just looks away, saying "Maybe that would be the best thing you could do for everyone."

"Guys..." says Roxas, feeling tears forming in his eyes. This wasn't happening, couldn't be happening, right? He looks to Olette, his oldest known friend, and ask "Do you feel the same way?"

She looks at him, then turns her head down, saying softly "Please, just go away..."

"Olette?" he says as he takes a step forward, making her move back.

"JUST GO AWAY" she screams as Seifer and Hayner both move to stand in front of her.

"Just leave her alone" shouts Hayner.

"Or you'll deal with the both of us" adds Seifer.

Roxas takes a step back, unable to understand what was going on? Why this was even happening? He then feels an arm reaching down, grabbing him, and lifting him into the air; Axel having picked up Roxas and slung him over hid shoulder before pressing hard on the forward arrow to get them moving.

"Sorry Roxas, but we need to seal that Keyhole, like NOW" says Roxas, feeling Roxas give him a silent nod as they reach the station, then manuver onto the tracks; racing fast towards Twilight Town proper. "You OK back there?"

"No..." says Roxas, allowing a moment to linger before saying "What happened to them? In the year I've lived here in Twilight Town, they have never been so..."

"Cold and hostile?" finished Axel.

"Yeah...What happened to them?" asked Roxas, wondering if the fog had anything to do with it, though Axel seemed to fine which made him wonder.

Axel turns his head down as his free hand balls into a fist. "I...don't know. But sometimes, people can change suddenly, and not always for the better..."

There was silence for the rest of the ride back to Twilight Town and soon enough, they had arrived at the clock tower and both quickly began to scan the structure, looking for any sign of the Keyhole. "Roxas, try the Keyblade" suggest Axel.

"Yeah" says Roxas, his voice not filled with much energy as he holds his hand out, summoning the Kingdom Key into it. He then closes his eyes as he moves the key upwards, feeling a growing resonance feeling as he closes in on the giant bells. His eyes open and says "It's in the bell tower. I...I could see it."

"Then let's hurry up there" says Axel as he runs into the tower with Roxas right behind him. Once they had reached the top, they quickly spread out, looking everywhere for signs of the keyhole.

"There it is" says Roxas, seeing the outline of the keyhole aglow upon the largest of the bells.

"Good eye. Now lock it, quickly" instructs Axel, getting a nod from Roxas as he raises his Keyblade up, taking aim at the glowing keyhole as a light sparkles out from the blade, followed by a beam of light being released, hitting the keyhole which produces a locking sound. "We did it. This world is safe now."

"Yeah..." says Roxas, his demeanor returning to being sullen as the words and actions of everyone come racing back into the forefront of his mind. A bit later, Roxas was sitting at the edge of the clock tower, his knees up against his chest as he rested his head on them. To the side, Axel was leaning back against the clock tower, unsure what to say now.

"Axel, do you think it may have been something from that Darkside that made everyone suddenly become like that?" asked Roxas.

"I wish I knew, but there's still lot we don't know about them" was Axel's reply.

"Do you think they'll go back to normal now that I've sealed the keyhole?" asked Roxas.

"I can only hope, Roxas. I can only hope."

Roxas, hearing the uncertainty in Axel's voice, only makes him feel more depressed. What if it hadn't been the Heartless but how they genuinely felt deep down inside. He didn't want to think like that, but the thoughts came in that form regardless of what he wanted.

"Roxas, this probably isn't the best time for this" says Axel, getting Roxas to turn his head to look at him. "My boss asked me to make a request to you. The thing is, Roxas, we want you to join us."

"Join you? You mean, join this Organization?" said Roxas, getting a nod from Axel. "Why?"

"Because this world isn't the only one that's in danger. All the worlds out there are in danger of falling into the darkness. Many already have. And the only one who can stop it is one who wields the Keyblade. In other words, you Roxas."

"But why me?" asked Roxas.

"Because you have the Keyblade, obviously. And because even after all our searching across the many worlds out there, you are the first one we've actually been able to find. We need you, Roxas" says Axel.

Roxas keeps his eyes on Axel for a moment, then looks away, saying "I don't know..."

"Well, you don't need to decide right now. Think it over tonight and meet me here in the morning with your final answer. If you say no, we'll understand. But I hope you'll say yes" says Axel as he begins to walk away. "One thing though, if you choose to come join us, then it may be some time before you can return to this world as travel to a world with the barrier at full power is difficult. That's why I can only give you till morning because that's how long I have before I'll need to leave or I'll be stuck here for a long time."

And with that, Axel leaves Roxas to his thoughts and the difficult choice he'd have to make...

**to be continued...**

**Secret Report 4**

"Wait for my signal" came Saix's voice through the communicator.

"Understood" came Vexen in response, then he turns to look at Marluxia and Demyx, saying "You both know the plan right? When Said tells us to start, I'll activate the machine to alter their thoughts and feelings."

"And along with my music..." says Demyx.

"And my fragrant flowers..." says Marluxia.

"...The people present here will be soothed by both, leaving their minds and hearts open for my machine, using a chilling mist, to get them to do what we need to do."

"Does Axel know?" asked Marluxia followed by Demyx asking "And is this really necessary?"

"I doubt it as even Saix wasn't keen on this method. And yes, it is necessary. We need the power of the Keyblade and we must be willing to do whatever is needed to get it" says Vexen before looking at his machine. "Here's hoping he's does as we need him to before the effects wear off in the morning."

**Q&A segment**

**Kira Ria 18 **asked: _So, when the next chapter coming out? _Before you started reading it, of course. lol

**Raxst the Star: **Aqua is an interesting guess, but not quite seeing as the Xion looking like a blacked haired version of Kairi will still have a purpose in this fic. But seeing as Xemnas does have Aqua's armor, and maybe DNA from hairs stuck in the helmet, there might be an Aqua connection if I can think of something that would make sense. If nothing else, Xion could be wearing Aqua's armor later on, seeing as Aqua doesn't have it with her now.

As for Roxas and Ventus being connected? I think it's safe to say that's a given, seeing as Sora likely won't appear in this story (and if he does, it will be a minor role as Riku's friend and not as a Keybearer) though Roxas being Ventus's Nobody may not be the case either. You'll understand in time.

**XxKenseyXx13: **Yeah, that tends to happen with my writing from time to time, where a word my becomes me and similar things happening. I'm not sure if it's me just goofing up and not noticing when I do my read through, looking for errors or if it may be my laptop itself that does it (it does have a few glitch's in it sadly). And don't worry about forgetting this fic from time to time as forgetting something just means you can remember it again later.

**Kira Ria 18: **You also noted the absence of a secret report last chapter. Expect this to happen from time to time if there isn't anything worth mentioning for a secret report (like chapter 4, which didn't require one in my opinion). Also, down the line, if you notice a number jump in the reports (example; going from SR6 to SR8 and seemingly skipping seven), that isn't because I goofed up and forgot that number, but rather because something happened in that particular secret report that I don't want you all to know until the proper time, like the chapter the contents of the secret report have the most meaning with.

A **Guest** asked: _Will Roxas have two different Keyblades or the same type (meaning Oathkeeper and Oblivion) like he had in the games?_ Well, it's going to be a good while before Roxas starts duel wielding (though I showed in the Struggle Tournament that he is good at duel wielding). But when he does, expect him to duel wield more than just those two Keyblades as Oathkeeper is connected to Kairi and Oblivion to...well, I can't say yet. And if you take the X out of Xion, then Ino would make the most normal sounding name for her.

Also, as of the next chapter, Olette will be taking a side charcter role for a while and there may be lengthy periods where she doesn't appear at all. But don't worry as she will still have her part to play and her role will become bigger again later one. But the next fifteen or so chapters will have more of a Roxas and Xion vibe thats needed to happen for the proper plot progression.

Finally, I plan on releasing a new chapter at least once a week (likely either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday). If, by some chance, my new chapter releases stop suddenly, don't think it's because I stopped with this story as that won't be the case. Rather, it will mean that I lost my internet (something I'm expecting to happen in the next several weeks as I haven't been able to pay all my bills do to job loss). But even with my internet gone, I'll still be writing and once I have chapters to release, and as soon as I can find time to visit a local wifi spot, I'll do the updates and if not, then as soon as I can get my bills caught up and get my internet restored.


	6. The Boy in Never Was

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.6: The Boy in Never Was**

Roxas wasn't quite sure how long he remained there at the clock tower following the sealing of the Keyhole and Axel's departure. He simply sat there, thinking long and hard over the offer he had been given as his gaze always stayed upon the expanse that was Twilight Town.

Perhaps he had even dose off? He wasn't sure.

Before he knew it, the sun had set and night had fallen across Twilight Town. Feeling hungry, he left the sanctuary that was the clock tower and began to make his way home. Along the way, he ran into several of the citizen's who, upon seeing him, gave him the same fearful look that screamed please leave us in their eyes. This only made the memory of what had happened on the beach earlier come racing back within his mind. And that made him feel even more isolated and alone now.

And then when he finally arrived at his place, he saw them; a piece of paper hanging from his door and the small box laying on the ground before it. Going for the paper first, he pulled it off the door and found that it was an eviction notice from the apartment building owner. Roxas sighs as he crumbles the paper up in his hand, tossing it into a near by trash can. He should have expected this to happen.

He turns his attention then to the box on the floor, kneeling down and popping the lid off. What he found inside made him tear up. It was the three crystals from the Struggle Trophy; the gems he had given to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. There was no messages or anything else included. There wasn't need of anything like that. The message was crystal clear to him.

Roxas picks the box up, then digs into his pocket and pulls out his key and unlocks the door, going into his apartment. Before, he had been hungry. But now, he didn't have much of an appetite on him. Placing the box on the table, Roxas simply walks over to his bed and allows himself to fall upon it and he buries his head within a pillow.

How long passed after that? None could say as Roxas lost track of the time. Had he fallen asleep? He wasn't sure as time seemed to come standing still for him. He soon turned over and stared at the ceiling as the moonlight bathed his face from the window. By the time the first rays of the morning sun had begun to appear on the horizon, he had made his decision.

Going around his apartment, he packs as much as he could into his back pack, filling it to the brim. His eyes wander over to the box with the three crystal's inside and, on a whim, takes the three out and tosses them into the pack as well. They would be his reminder of his time in this world; both the good and the bad times. Once he was ready, he heads towards the door, only stopping long enough to look back one last time, then stepping out into the empty world he now found himself in.

It didn't take him long till he was coming up on the clock tower and even less than that to reach its top, where Axel awaited him. "Have you decided?" asked Axel, though seeing Roxas had brought a backpack with him already gave him his answer.

"Yeah..." says Roxas, allowing a moment's pause to look over the city one last time, then back to Axel again. "I'm ready to go with you."

In another part of the town, Olette stirred from her restless sleep and opened her eyes just a bit, wondering where she was. It only takes her a moment to recall that she was back home, in her bed. Strange, wasn't she at the beach with Roxas and the others? And why was her head hurting too?

Picking herself up, the light of the morning sun kissed her face, making her raise a hand up to block out the glare. She then realizes something was missing, the blue crystal from the trophy cup that Roxas had given her. She wasn't holding it in her hand. You see, over the last two days since being given it, she had woken up to find she had grabbed hold of it in her sleep. Strange that she hadn't tonight. Olette turns her attention her night stand, seeing it was missing from the cloth she had set it on.

Going into a panic of a sort, she immediately moves to the edge of her bed and looks down onto the floor, then peaks under her bed, not seeing it anywhere. Is there a chance she might have placed it inside her night gown pockets? She digs in, but doesn't find it.

"Where is it?" she wonders as she gets up, a glint then catching her eye.

It wasn't the crystal though. It was the center of the star shaped necklace she had found with Roxas one year ago laying on the night stand. "Why do I still have this?" she wonders aloud as she reach's out and picks it up. "I thought I had given this to..."

And then she remembered; she remembered she was about to confess to Roxas, then Axel had arrived. She remembered the appearance of that giant Darkside and that Roxas had taken off to fight it. She remembered the mist, music, and flower petals and feeling something washing over her mind.

And then, she remembered how she and everyone else had treated Roxas when he had came back after saving them from the Heartless.

"No...no, we didn't...I didn't" she says as tears begin to fall from her eyes. She wasn't sure what had come over her and the other to make them act the way they did and say what they did, but the fact remained that they had. "Roxas...she cries before breaking into a run, knowing she needed to see him.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Axel. "You know that once we leave Twilight Town, it will be a long time before a path can be made to return here. It may never even happen."

"I know" says Roxas sadly, knowing that despite all that had happened, he would still miss this place and everyone in it. Though they wouldn't miss him, he thought, he would still miss them all the same. "But this is more important than just me and what I want. You said it yourself, there are other worlds out there that are in danger and that I may be the only person who can save those worlds."

"Well, if you're sure" says Axel as he turns around and raises a hand which makes a portal of twilight energy form from the nothingness.

Olette, meanwhile, was running as fast as she could in her night gown, not bothering to take the time to change or even caring to. She had stopped at the Usual Spot first as it was closer to where she lived, though she had known Roxas wouldn't be there now. She then made a mad dash to Roxas place, knocking hard against his door.

"Roxas? Roxas? It's me, Olette. Please open up. I need to talk to you, see you" she says, getting no response. She then tries the door nob, finding the door unlocked. She looks inside the apartment, finding it empty save for two things; the trophy and the green crystal which Roxas had forgot to grab.

She walks forward and takes it into her hand, holding it tightly as she brings her hand to her chest. "Roxas...where are you?" she wonders till a flash catches her eye, Moving to the window, she is just able to make out something odd going on upon the clock tower.

Knowing he would be there now, Olette spins around and runs out of the room.

"Have you said goodbye to your friends?" asked Axel.

Roxas doesn't respond, instead choosing to look away. "I see..." says Axel, knowing it would be better not to press the matter. "Let's go, Roxas" he says before entering the portal.

"Yeah..." says Roxas as he steps forward, right to the edge. He then stops and allows himself one final look across Twilight Town. He then says one final thing before walking into the portal.

"Goodbye..."

Olette arrived just a split second later, just in time to see the portal close up. Tears fall freely as she collapses to her knees as she turns her gaze to the ground. "...come back...please come back...ROXAS."

**(the twilight portal)**

"Stay close to me, Roxas. And don't think of wandering off either. Passage through this portal can be dangerous for the unprotected" instructs Axel as they moved though the cascading path of light and dark.

"Sure thing" says Roxas, making sure he was just a few steps behind.

Soon enough, they came upon the other end of the portal and didn't waste a moment passing through. Roxas then found himself within a darkened alley way with Axel, hearing a rumbling in the sky, which he found to be cloudy and dark as he looked up at it.

"This way" says Axel, walking out of the alley and making to turn to his left.

"So, where are we any...ways?" says Roxas, his words falling away as his eyes saw the world beyond the alley way. It was a city, a massive sized city unlike anything he had ever seen. "Unreal..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought to when I first saw it too" says Axel before stepping forward. He then turns back to Roxas and spreads his arms wide, saying "This may be a bit over dramatic for me to do, but let me officially welcome you to our world, and your new home."

"Roxas, I welcome you to Never Was. Got the name memorized?"

"Never Was" repeats Roxas as he steps forward, looking from one side to the other and back again. "Just how big is this place? And how many people live here too?"

"Yeah, that's...going to be an interesting explanation" says Axel. "How about we head to the castle and you'll get your first question answered once there."

"Castle?" asked Roxas, which makes Axel turn and point to the large white structure that wasn't to far in the distance. "Oh, OK" he says before the two of them proceed.

As they walk, Axel says "As far as how many of us, live here?" Well...I could say thousands. But to be honest, there are only twelve of us that actually really live here. Well, thirteen now including you."

"I don't understand?" says Roxas.

"Well, it's like this" says Axel. "You recall what I told you the other day about the Heartless, right?"

"Yeah, you said that if a world falls into darkness, then all the people who lived in that world will become Heartless" says Roxas.

"That's only part of it" says Axel. "Another way for a Heartless to be born is is an existing Heartless attacks a person and succeeds in causing their heart to be split off from the body. The heart then falls into the darkness and is reshaped into a Heartless. But what happens to the body that is left behind?"

Roxas shrugs when Axel looks back at him. "The answer is that while the heart becomes a Heartless, the body left behind will also undergo a transformation and become what we call a Nobody. As Heartless seek to add more hearts to the collect, so to do the Nobodies seek hearts as well; their hearts to me more exact so they can return to being a complete being."

"So these Nobodies can remember their old life before the change then?" asked Roxas.

Axel shakes his head, then says "No, not exactly. All a Nobody knows is that if they find their heart, they can return to their old self, that's all. There aren't many Nobodies in existence in terms of types when compared to the Heartless, but they..."

Axel's words are stopped suddenly as a black pool of darkness forms before them and Shadow's begin to rise up from the ground. "Gah, not again" groans Axel.

Roxas runs forward, the Kingdom Key appearing in his hand as he does this, and says "I'll take care of them." As he goes to pass Axel, the red head reach's out and stops him. "Hey, what's up?"

"Just wait and watch" says Axel before snapping his fingers with his free hand which causes gray colored portals to appear and white/gray colored creatures come wiggling out of them. "Deal with those Heartless, boys" commands Axel and the whited ones begin attacking the Shadows.

After a few moments, the Heartless had been dispatched by the whited ones. "What? Are these the Nobodies you were talking about before, Axel?" asked Roxas.

"Yeah, these are the Dusk; the most common form to the Nobodies. This world, Never Was, is a world located within the twilight realm that exist between light and dark. Because of this, it's easier for Heartless to appear here than it is in the realm of light and when they do, the Nobodies will push them back for us. Now, let's hurry on to the castle. The others are waiting" says Axel, moving forward again.

After some more walking and passing an impressive looking tower called Memory Skyscraper, according to Axel, the arrived at an edge overlooking an abyss. "Watch that first step, Roxas. Fall into the void and who knows where you'll end up" warns Axel, getting a nod from Roxas.

Axel then makes a motion with his hand, causing a path of light to appear, connecting the city to the castle, then he steps onto the path, looks, back, and beckons Roxas to step upon it as well. Roxas hesitates at first, then makes a careful first step just to make sure that it would be solid for him to walk on. Axel laughs, saying "Reminds me of my first time stepping on the pathway."

After the ascent and stepping onto the castle grounds, Axel turns back and says "Now, look back at the city and tell me what you can see."

"OK?" says Roxas, turning back as well and finding he did have a much better view from here. He could see the full size of the city, more or less, but beyond it, there was nothing but the endless void that was the twilight. "This place...?"

"Yeah, a true world of nothingness. All there is here is the city and this castle. Nothing else exist here" says Axel. "Now, let's go introduce you to the others."

For the next twenty minutes, Axel and Roxas walk through the labyrinth like structure that was Never Was Castle and along the way, Axel took the time to tell Roxas about each of the Nobody types that existed and what their individual abilities and functions were. He also explained that the thirteen towers Roxas had seen served as the Organization's various members private chambers, meaning Roxas would have the thirteenth tower all to himself, unless other Keybearer's were found, of course.

And then, they passed through a massive and ornate double door, entering a circular room bathed from top to bottom in white; the Nobody crest resting on the floor at its center, and thirteen chairs situated in a ring pattern around the crest with eleven hooded figures sitting within the chairs.

"Welcome, friend; the one chosen by the Keyblade. I welcome you to our home and I thank you for deciding to join us here" comes the hooded figure sitting in the highest stationed chair.

Axel then raises his hood up to cover his head, then places a hand on Roxas shoulder, saying "Now for the introduction phase." He then leaves Roxas side and moves to sit upon his seat which then rises up to its proper level.

"Let's begin" says the leader, waving with his right hand to the one seated to his farthest right. Roxas turns to look at the person directly.

The first figure pulls back his hood, revealing short, platinum blonde hair and a neatly trimmed bearded and a coy, devil may care grin. "My names Luxord. I'm a gambler by trade and I've always been lucky on the draw. With my deck of cards and my mastery over time, I always come out a winner."

The next person down the line then removes his hood, revealing a beautiful faced man with long, spiky pink colored hair. "You may call me Marluxia and I'm charmed to meet you, Keybearer. In battle, I wield my trusted scythe while spreading my beautiful, fragrant flowers to confuse and calm my opponents."

Next to him was a black haired man who's hair was tied back though strands hung down along the front. "I'm Xaldin, master of the wind and of the lance. In battle, I move I strike with the force of a hurricane, and none she be left standing in my wake."

Next in the row, a man with long dark blond hair and a creepy face speaks up. "I'm Vexen, an academic by nature. Using the power of ice and as many have said, a personality to match, I detest fighting, preferring to wield a shield to guard myself as my talents are better served as a scientist."

Next to him was a man with short, orange colored hair that was all frazzled looking, "Lexaeus."

Roxas waits for a moment, but the intimidating figure says nothing more, making him think _'The strong, silent type, huh? I guess ever group needs to have at least one. Wonder if he and Fu could be related in some way?'_

A sudden snapping of fingers draws him from his thoughts and he sees the source of the snapping coming from a guy with black and gray colored hair, wearing an eye patch with several scars on his face. "Hey, vacant stare, over here. Name's Xigbar, master of spatial control and wielder of the Arrow Guns." His weapon then suddenly appears in his hand and he aims and fires with sudden, shocking speed, the arrow passing Roxas with just an inch space between them. "Get my point?"

The hooded figure then makes a motion with his left hand, leading off the introductions to his other side. The next to show his face was a man with long blue hair and an X-shaped scar on his face, placed perfectly between his eyes.

"I am Saix, second in command here in Never Was. The power I draw upon comes from the light of the moon and my weapon is a Claymore. I'm also charged with handing out missions to all members here."

Next was a boy with silvery hair that came down, covering his right eye. "My name is Zexion..." he suddenly vanishes from sight, appearing beside Roxas, making the Keybearer jump back in surprise. "I use a Lexicon on my missions..." He then vanishes again, reappearing at his seat. "And my specialty is illusions."

Next was the person Roxas was already familiar with; Axel pulls his hood off again, saying "As you know already, I am Axel. My element is fire and my weapon is the chakram. With me around, things are always fiery. Got it memorized."

The next to show there face was a girl, which Roxas found a refreshing change of pace. She had blond hair that was cut short and slicked back. "People call me Larxene. Quick like the lightning I can call upon and..." Without warning, a knife like object appears in her hands and she moves with ninja like speed down to Roxas side, the knife being pressed against his neck with near enough force to draw blood.

"I wield knives like a ninja and have been called a savage nymph and unless you want to know why, I suggest you stay on my good side. OK?" She says that last part as sweetly as she could sound, which still sounded scary as she pulls her knife away, then ruffles his hair before jumping back to her seat.

Roxas gulp, wonder what the last two would be like as he turns his attention to the last person on the left and is shocked to find the figure having summed some sort of musical instrument and was now strumming the strings. Several moments pass with no words coming from the still hooded figure.

"Hey, it's your cue you dumb idiot" shouts Larxene, making the hooded guy jump and nearly drop his instrument onto the ground which likely would have broken it.

"Oh, right, right, right, right, right" comes a rather nervous sounding voice which makes Roxas think he's been on Larxene's bad side many times. He then pulls his hood off, revealing he was a dark blonde haired man with the sides somewhat shaved. "My name is Demyx, master of water. I'm really not much for action as I prefer to just sit back, relax, and play my Sitar all day long. Yeah, that's what I want; a quite life for me."

There was only one unknown left? The figure sitting in the highest positioned chair and Roxas turns to look at him as he pulls his hood off, revealing silver hair that reached down to his shoulders. And, to Roxas surprise, there was something about him that felt familiar. Not just physically, but the aura he was giving off felt familiar to him as well.

"I welcome you, my friend. And you have my thanks for joining us here in Never Was" says the man as he smiles an eerie smile. "I am Xemnas, leader of the Organization. Now, it is time for you to introduce yourself I think."

Roxas nods, then he holds his right hand out, summoning forth his Keyblade. This makes several of the gathered members look on in shock and a few get a glint of ambition within their eyes as well. "My name is Roxas, wielder of the Keyblade. For the last year, I have called Twilight Town my home though I must confess it is not my original home I think as I suffer from memory loss. I hope I can be of help to all of you, what ever help you may need of me."

"Indeed" says Xemnas. "It s a help we shall greatly appreciate from you, my friend. And worry not, f there is anything we can do to help you regain that which you have lost, then know that we'll do everything in our power to help you. It is the least we can do after all."

Roxas allows his Keyblade to disappear, then bows respectfully as he says "Thank you."

"Now, let us show you around your new home" says Xemnas as his chair lowers down and he steps off, walking over to Roxas to personally show him all of the castle.

Several hours later, Roxas was laying back in his bed; having just finished putting his things away not to long before. He was still amazed by just how big this place was and even more so that he had an entire tower all to himself...well, at least until they found other Keybearer's with whom he'd be sharing this tower with in the future. There was even a massive training room he could use to hone his skills.

But the question was; now what should he do? He wouldn't be going out onto missions until tomorrow and Axel and the others had their own personal duties to perform. She he go try the training area out? A knock on his door brings him from his thoughts.

Getting up, he walks over and answers, finding Xemnas outside. "Master Xemnas? Is there something I can do for you?" asked Roxas.

"Now, now, there's no need for a master or a mister being added before my name. Just Xemnas will be fine, Roxas" says Xemnas.

"Ah...yeah, I understand" says Roxas.

"Walk with me, will you, Roxas? There's a few things I wish to speak with you about" says Xemnas before turning and walking down the hall. Though a little confused, Roxas follows him nevertheless.

As they walk down the halls, Xemnas ask "So, did Axel tell you about us?"

"More or less, though I have a feeling he left a few things out. I told me about the Heartless and how they come into existence and about the Nobody origins. That's about it" says Roxas.

"I see" says Xemnas. "Would it surprise you if I said that all twelve of us Organization members were also Nobodies too?"

"What?" says Roxas, coming to a stop.

"Hard to believe, I know. But it is all true. You, Roxas, are the only non-Nobody here as far as we know" says Xemnas.

"But, how can all of you be Nobodies when you don't look anything like those Dusk creatures out there?" asked Roxas.

"It's a simpler explanation than you might think. A Nobody, as you know, is born when the castaway body, void of its heart, falls into the shadows. But in very rare occurrences, a body that housed a strong heart will retain its former appearance, not being changed like others would be as well as its memories from its past life. That is what we are" says Xemnas.

"I see" says Roxas. "So, you guys are basically your old selves just minus your hearts then?"

"Not exactly" says Xemnas. "There are differences. My old self didn't have shoulder length hair as I do now and Axel's old self didn't have the marks under his eyes he now has. For some of us, we undergo a slight physical change from our old self while others like Xaldin and Demyx, the change is not physical but mental instead. Xaldin is a little more wild than he old self and Demyx, from what he said, use to be extremely serious and always on the move; a contrast to his current laid back self."

"Does the fact you all have a X in your names have any meaning as well?" asked Roxas.

Xemnas chuckles at that. "So you noticed that, huh? Nice attention to detail there. Yes, we all changed our names and added an X into the changed name; our reason for this is...well...let's just say its complicated. In time and if they feel in worth speaking of, they will share their true name with you. Until then, it would be better not to ask about it."

"Understood" says Roxas.

After a while of walking, which sent them out of Roxas tower and into Xemnas's personal tower. And before to long, they entered what appeared to be a lab of some sort. "Roxas, I have a request of you if I may?"

"Sure, what is it?" asked Roxas.

"I would like to examine you. Not just you but your Keyblade as well" says Xemnas.

"I don't mind. But can I ask why though?"

"By examining your Keyblade, I hope I may discover a way that will allow me to duplicate its power to return a Heartless to its true form so I can then give it to the others, thus making our mission easier. As for examining you? It may help in that matter. Plus, I want to see if I can determine to source of your memory loss and, if possible, I may be able to reverse it."

Roxas takes a moment to think about it, then nods and says "OK, count me in."

Xemnas nods before leading him over to a device which he turns on. "Summon your Keyblade and place it down here if you will."

Once Roxas had done this, Xemnas directs him to a larger, similar table and has Roxas lay down upon it. Xemnas then moves over to a computer counsel and begins typing in various commands which causes a scanner to appear above both Roxas and his Keyblade.

"Now close your eyes and we'll begin" instructs Xemnas and Roxas does so. Xemnas then makes a final set of key strokes which causes a light to shoot from the scanners as the examination of Roxas and the Kingdom Key begins.

The next things Roxas knew, he was feeling like he was in motion; free falling, another deep dive one would say. But he didn't find himself back in that place where he had faced the Twilight Thorn previously. Instead he simply kept falling further and further.

And then he saw a castle, odd in its shape and white in color, sitting upon the edge of an abyss. He finds himself being pulled into this place, racing through rooms and hallways with the speed of a blinking eye till he found himself seeing a wall of unusual design; a wall which he then passed through.

Where he found himself next was a large circular room with a large throne situated at its center and upon that throne was two sleeping figures. It was then the image starts to become static, making it difficult for him to see clearly their faces. But from what he could make out, it was a boy and a girl, similar in size with the girl resting her head on the boy's shoulder. And then, he dived towards them.

Where was he now, he wondered? A world of endless, cascading colors like a rainbow. He then sees it at the corner of his vision; a bubble floating within the void...or was it a sphere of light instead? He wasn't sure, but he noticed the two figures who's faces he couldn't make out appeared to be here as well, inside the bubble/sphere thing.

As he draws closer, he can tell the boy appeared to still be asleep, his head resting on the girls lap. But the girl here seemed to be awake; her right hand gently stroking his hair as her head was tilted down, looking at him. Though much was still static, he was beginning to make details out. All he needed was to get a little bit closer and...

And then it was like he had been thrown into reverse as he returned in the direction he had come.

Roxas groaned as he regained consciousness; bring a hand up to his aching head as he tries to sit up, but is stopped by another hand resting on his shoulder. "Easy, my friend. Give yourself a moment to recover from the moment" comes Xemnas's voice.

"What happened?" asked Roxas as he opened his eyes.

"You tell me?" was Xemnas's reply. "You fell asleep during my scans then started mumbling something. I was concerned my test was doing something harmful to you."

"No, it wasn't. I..." says Roxas, not sure what to say.

"What did you see?" asked Xemnas.

"I...I can't remember. I know I saw something, but..." says Roxas, wondering what it was. He then shakes the thoughts off and looks at Xemnas, asking "Anyways, did you learn anything?"

"Possibly. I'll need to take some time to go over the results and see if anything useful can be obtained, though I might need you to undergo several more scans to verify any findings I may obtain."

"If it helps, then count me in" says Roxas.

"I appreciate that. Now, you should return to your room and rest for now. Tomorrow, you'll begin your first of many missions" says Xemnas.

"Right..." says Roxas as he gets up and retrieves his Keyblade, then makes his way to the door.

"Roxas..." comes Xemnas, making him stop and look back. "If you do remember what it was you saw before, come and tell me. It may hold a vital clue about your past and why you lost your memories. And, it may be the clue we need to help you regain them again."

"I will" says Roxas before taking his leave. As he walks down the hallway, heading back to his room, he finds himself wondering why he hadn't told Xemnas about what he had seen before. Sure, it wasn't much, but still...

Something inside him was telling him to keep it a secret...from Xemnas.

**To be continued...**

**Secret Report 5:**

Xemnas watched as the machine work when his door opened up, signaling that it could only be...

"Yo, boss? Did Roxas's examination reveal anything special about him?" asked Xigbar, the only member of the Organization who would barge in without knocking first.

Well, Larxene would be the same way if she ever bothered to visit anyone, which she never did.

"Perhaps" says Xemnas, more interested in watching IT being created.

"So, is our boy a Nobody like us or what?" asked Xigbar as he joins Xemnas at the work station.

"I was thinking it a possibility for a time. But after that examination..."

"Wait, so he isn't a Nobody then? Surely he can't be...How would he have not aged in the last ten years then?" asked Xigbar.

"As I said before, I can't be sure of anything yet. But I have my doubts about him being a Nobody simply because of the fact he can use a Keyblade. If a Nobody could wield a Keyblade, then..."

"Aw, I get what your saying" says Xigbar. The fact Xemnas, being a Keybearer himself before becoming a Nobody couldn't still use it, then how could Roxas if he was a Nobody? What made them so different if that was the case?

"To know what Roxas truly is will require a few more test and data to be sure. But I believe the answer may be something that will be...imaginative" says Xemnas.

"Speaking of new? What's up with the bracelet your making with your machines? Making a gift for Larxene are we?" joked Xigbar.

"Hardly" says Xemnas as he picks it up, then slips it onto his left wrist. He then holds his left arm up before him. A second later, the Kingdom Key appears in his open left hand.

"No way. You can summon the Keyblade again" says Xigbar, obviously shocked.

"Not exactly" says Xemnas. "This is just a sham, a copy. A fake Keyblade, nothing more. Though its a fake that can function like the real thing. Anyone who where's this bracelet can summon it forth."

"Still, that's pretty impressive you could create something like that" says Xigbar, touching it. "So, what are you going to do with it?"

Xemnas recalls the weapon, then pulls off the bracelet. He then walks over to a side wall as a hidden passage appears which he enters with Xigbar following close behind him. "I created it to be used with my old experiment."

"Old experiment?" says Xigbar as they enter a large, circular room which, at its center, a tank filled with glowing water and a figure floating within. "Oh, that one. But I thought you considered this a failure?"

"It was a failure for what it had been originally created for. But despite the failure, I made an interesting discovery. Using this false Keyblade, it may be possible to turn this failure into something useful. And if its successful, then we may have another role Roxas can play" says Xemnas before reaching out; his hand passing through the container, and sliding the bracelet onto the figures left wrist.

"So, when do we, or should I say, she, begins?" asked Xigbar.

"In one week" was Xemnas's reply. "Just enough time to finally wake her up..."

**AN: **In case anyone was wondering, the scenes at the beginning of this chapter, with Roxas and Olette, were difficult to write do to the emtions within them. And don't worry, Olette will still appear in this fic, though it'll be bit roles here and there for a good while before a larger returning role.


	7. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.7: Down the Rabbit Hole**

"So, you ready for your first adventure?" asked Axel as he and Roxas made their way down the hall.

"I'm a little nervous, to be honest. But yeah, I think so" says Roxas as the reach a large room where several of the other members were already waiting.

Saix then starts handing out papers to everyone, saying "Here's today's assignment sheets." He then looks at Roxas and says "You'll be accompanying Xigbar to an unclassified world today."

"Unclassified?" asked Roxas, wonder what that meant.

"Wait, why is it Xigbar? I thought I would be acting as Roxas guide starting out" says Axel aloud, not happy with this unexpected choice.

Saix looks at Axel and says "Lord Xemnas's orders. Can't be helped." He then looks at Roxas and says "An unclassified world is a term we use to describe a world we've never explored before. Because of this, we have no way of knowing what to expect in it apart from what we've seen at the portal entrance."

Xigbar walks up and gives Roxas a hard pat to his back. "Looks like me and you will be getting in some quality time together, huh?"

Roxas chuckles nervously, saying "Yeah...I guess so..."

The others begin to head out, passing into the various portals that had been opened. "By the way, what kind of missions do you guys usually do anyways?" asked Roxas.

"World exploration, mostly" says Saix.

"You know, assessing the Heartless threat level if any. Searching for possible Keybearer's. Trying to locate the world's keyhole. You know, the usual stuff" says Axel.

"Or sometimes just having a bit of fun while we're there too" throws in Xigbar.

"Yeah, that's what you and Demyx do anyways" says Axel before walking up to his portal. "Hey, Roxas. Good luck out there..." And with that, Axel enters the portal.

"Well, kid. Let's head out ourselves" says Xigbar as he steps forward.

"Wait a moment" says Saix, getting them to stop. He then turns back and grabs the spare black coat that was laying on a couch in the room and toss's it to Roxas. "Put it on. Wearing this will protect you from any possible side effects that can be caused from repeated usage of the Twilight Gates. After all, they weren't meant to be used by anyone other than Nobodies."

"Right" says Roxas, slipping it on.

"Also, it helps make it easier for people to not give us much attention, believe it, or not as most who see us in this will simply be compelled to not care about us in any great detail" adds Xigbar.

"If you say so" says Roxas as he zips it up. "But that's hard to believe is it does kind of stands out."

"Also, take this as well" says Saix, tossing a communicator to Roxas. "With this, you can keep in contact with your partner while on missions should you split up or get separated from one another. There's also a function to to create an emergency portal should you need to evacuate quickly."

"Understood" says Roxas, sliding the communicator into his pocket.

"Well kid, we better be off then" says Xigbar as he throws on his hood and enters the portal. Roxas does the same and follows him in as well.

After several moments within the twilight corridor, the two emerge near the edge of a forest with a good view of a castle off in the distance. "Wow, this is completely different from Twilight Town" says Roxas.

"Yeah, no kid...I mean, I would assume so" says Xigbar, quickly changing his words as he didn't want Roxas to know he had been to Twilight Town before. "Just wait though. There are worlds out there you can't possibly imagine."

"So, where do we start looking first?" asked Roxas.

"For today, you stick around here and look around the forest to see if you can find anything with that Keyblade of yours. I'll head over to that castle there and see if there's anything special about it" says Xigbar.

"Wait, you mean we're splitting up already?" asked Roxas.

"Well, duh. We can cover more ground that way. Also, I have a better chance of snooping around populated areas than you do which is why I'm leaving you to explore here. We'll meet back here in four hours so be sure to set the alarm on your communicator accordingly. Also, if you see anyone wandering about, it would be best to stay hidden. After all, having to explain things to the locals will be such a pain."

"I guess" says Roxas.

"Well, good luck and don't do anything stupid now" says Xigbar before taking off.

"Why do I have the feeling I should have been the one to say that?" says Roxas in a deadpan tone. He then turns around and looks into the forest. "Well, I might as well get started then."

As he heads into the sea of trees, he pulls out the communicator and goes into the options menu. After a few moments, he finds the alarm setting and sets it for four hours, as instructed. He then takes a chance to see what else it could do. "Alright, this thing has an auto map maker that can even direct back in the direction I came from. That'll be handy if I find myself becoming lost..."

A sudden rustling sound catches his attention, making him go on alert. Looking around, he finds the bush that was shaking and he prepares to summon his Keyblade out in case he needs it.

But it wasn't a Heartless or even a woodland creature...sort of. "Oh me, oh my. What ever shall I do? The queen will surely have my head for this. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late..." cries a white rabbit, wearing a fancy shirt and top with a monocle over one eye as he comes jumping out from the bush, then runs in another direction.

"Huh?" says Roxas, not expecting that. "Was that rabbit...talking? And dressed like an upper class gentlemen to boot?" This had been the first time he had seen either; proof that the worlds truly were different and strange compared to the world he had come from.

"Hey, wait a moment" he shouts, giving chase; having forgotten about the need for secrecy. In his thoughts, perhaps this strange oddity would know something about the Keyhole? "Hey, can you slow down for just a second?" he yells again.

The White Rabbit, having heard Roxas's voice, looks back and says "I wish I could but I can't. I'm already late for the dance." He then returns his focus to his fast approaching destination, a hole upon the hill side which the rabbit is quick to dive into.

"But, this is...important..." says Roxas, coming to a stop before the hole. "Well, I guess that's that then" he sighs out in defeat, preparing to move on till he notices something. The hole...it might just be big enough for him to crawl through. Maybe he could follow after that white rabbit and still ask the question.

Getting down on his hands and knees, Roxas crawls into the hole and proceeds into the darkness a ways before a thought cross's his mind. "Just what the heck am I doing? I should and ask Xigbar about this before Iiiiiieeeehhhhhhh" the last word ends in a yell as Roxas, who hadn't stopped moving forward, falls into another hole that sends him falling down down down into the depths of the earth.

But within moments of his fall, Roxas noticed something odd. He was so much falling down as he was floating downwards now. While the knowing did calm him a bit, it was still nerve racking as his hands and arms where flying out every which way, trying to find something to stop his descent.

And then, his wrist hits something which makes him say "ow" before grabbing back a hold of the object and finding it to be a lamp of some sort based on the shape. A few moments later, he finds a little chain hanging from it and he gives it a pull, turning the lamp on and illuminating the passageway he was falling down in.

"Well, that helps a little" he says looking at the checkered colored walls. He saw all sorts of strange objects scattered about...well, strange do to their positions and the fact they seemed to be floating in mid air. He then sees something even stranger, an owl.

"What's an owl doing underground?" he wonders aloud as he moves the lamp closer to see if it may be stuffed or a doll or something.

The owl's eyes shoot open and it says "Do you mind NOT wasting my lamp oil, pepper."

The sight, and sound, of the owl talking takes Roxas by surprise; enough so that he lets go of the lamp which the owl is quick swoosh up with one of its wings. As he continues his descent, Roxas cross's his hands over his chest and says "If I saw a rabbit talking before, then why did hearing an owl talk just now surprise me?"

Roxas then finds himself sliding through a rather narrow passageway and he suddenly flips upside down after doing so. But he didn't feel like he was upside down now. Instead, he felt like he was falling upwards now. Weird, huh?

Not that he had much time to think about it as he suddenly comes landing head first onto the ground. He groans as he picks himself up, rubbing the pump his sudden and rough landing had left on him. He then looks around and sees the only way forward being the path directly ahead.

"I better contact Xigbar..." says Roxas as he reach's into his pockets and pulls his communicator out. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting a signal on the thing. Worse, the auto map feature, which could help him find his way back to the arrival point, was displaying nothing but static on the screen now.

"Great, I certainty got myself into a fine pickle, huh?" says Roxas. What a way to start his first mission with the Organization? Falling down a hole with no knowing where he was now or how he could get back. He looks to the sole path, saying "I guess I have not other choice but to move forward."

And he does, walking down the wild, twisting hallway, feeling like he was doing a loop-d-loop as he walked, which when he looked back, realized that he actually had. Really weird. But soon, he came upon a door which he opened, revealing another door that was slightly smaller. More doors he opened and more doors he found behind, smaller than the ones before till finally, he found a door that actually opened into another room, though it would be a tight fit to pass through, forcing him to remove the black coat till he was on the other side.

He now found himself within a large, square room that seemed to be completely empty with another small door at the far end. As Roxas puts the black coat back on, he hears the sound of snoring coming from some where. Was there another person...or animal, here in the room with him? He looks high and he looks low, seeing no sign of the noises source. And then sees a little snot bubble coming from out of the door's nob.

"You can't be serious?" thinks Roxas before stepping forward and kneeling down. "Um...excuse me?" he says as he reach's out and touch's the door, making eyes appear on it.

"GGGAAAHHH" cries the door as Roxas hand had grabbed a rather firm hold on its nob nose. He then gives the boy an annoyed look, saying "What is it? Don't you know its rude to awaken someone when they're sleeping? And even RUDER when you wake them up by grabbing their nose."

"Oh...um...sorry about that" says Roxas, blushing a little from embarrassment as he rubs the back of his head. "I didn't mean any offense. I...well, I've never seen a talking door before."

"Yeah, and I've never met a rude nob grabber before either" says the door in a huff, but it then sighs and says "Oh well, no more worries then. What can I do for you?"

"Well, can you tell me where I am?" asked Roxas.

"Where you are? I would think that rather obvious, I'd say. Why, your here, of course. How could you be anywhere else if you're here?" inquired the door.

"That's not what I...never mind" says Roxas as he looks around again. "And to think, I got myself into this mess by chasing after that fancily dressed white rabbit."

"Huh? Oh yeah, that one" says the door. "He was rather rude too, waking me from my nap then badgering me about needing to open up because he was late. I mean, how rude as that?"

"Wait..." says Roxas looking back at the door. "So you mean he came this way?"

"Yeah, he came and passed. Probably heading to that party being held at the palace. The queen, I hear, sure loves her parties and if you get an invite, then you should feel honored. But don't be late or else...you know what will happen."

Roxas had a feeling he didn't want to know what would happen, seeing as so far, he had experienced nothing but craziness since falling down the hole. "So, can you let me through as well? I...well, I'm kind of stuck here and I need to find a way back up."

"You need to find a way back up, huh? Sure you haven't finished falling down yet?" laughs the door before saying "I'd like to open for you, but there's just one problem."

"And what's that?" asked Roxas.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, you're a tad on the big side. To big to fit through my tight spaces."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there" says Roxas, noting the door wasn't very big; more like rabbit sized. "So what should I do? I can't exactly shrink myself down now, can I?"

"No, I suppose not. But luckily for you, I have an idea that will help you overcome the impassable.'

"Don't you mean impossible?" asked Roxas.

"No, I meant impassable. Kid, you need to learn that nothing is impossible. Like this little matter" says the door before winking at Roxas. A second later, Roxas hears a sound of sitting hitting the floor, making him look back and see a table had appeared in the room. And on this table was a bottle, a bowl of snacks, and a card.

Curious, Roxas gets up and walks over to the table and picks up the card, reading "Eat me, drink me?" He then looks back at the door and ask "I don't get it?"

"Don't have much of an imagination either, huh? Oh well, I guess I can be a little more generous seeing as there's something about you I like" says the door, allowing a second to pass before continuing.

"OK, drink a bit of the drink and you'll find yourself shrinking down to a size more capable of passing through my space."

"OK, got it" says Roxas as he takes hold of the drink and pops the top off, hoping it wasn't alcoholic.

"Wait, stuff a piece of that food inside your pockets first" warns the door.

"What for?" asked Roxas.

"Well, if drinking makes you shrink, then what will eating do for you?" asked the door.

It only takes a moment for Roxas to get it. "Oh, it can help me return to normal size. Thanks for the tip" he says before stuffing a cookie into his pocket. He then takes a quick drink, then immediately finds himself falling as he had shrunk with his head being the sole thing that didn't move.

After another rough landing, he walks up to the door, saying "I'm ready."

"So you are" it replied before opening up, allowing Roxas to pass through. "Just be careful though. This Wonderland isn't for the tame or unimaginative."

"Wonderland, huh?" says Roxas, looking around and seeing himself within a wide open area with the outline of a forest not to far off. "Sounds right for a name to a place like this one." He then recalls the cookie he had taken from the plate and eats it, returning to his normal size. "Well, let's see what I can find.

Over the next several hours, he search through the forest. In that time, he had seen some serious oddities about. Flamingo's with umbrella's for bodies, owls who's necks where accordions, and some sort of bird like creature which had trumpet shaped beaks. He had even seen a rocking horse fly.

During his search, he had come upon a house built in a clearing, but found the owner was out though a lizard chimney sweep had informed that the house in question was owned by the white rabbit who, along with his friend, the dodo, he left to attend the Queen's party.

After more wandering still, Roxas was feeling tried and decides to take a rest on a tree stump, hoping that it wouldn't start talking to him too. He pulls out the communicator and checks the time. "Well, Xigbar must know something has happened to me. It's past our meeting time and we obviously can't communicate with one another."

As he tries to consider his options, a cold unease comes over him. He looks back and see the the forest beyond where he was, where the path he had been following refused to enter, was darker and more foreboding in its appearance and feel.

"That sure looks inviting" he says as he gets up. He was about to be on his way when movement catch's his attention. Looking back, he sees something for just a blink speed second. "Was that...a Heartless?"

Were the Heartless here? He needed to find out, though it would mean going into the foreboding forest which he wasn't keen on. Taking in a deep breath, he proceeds to enter darkened wood.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you" comes a voice which makes Roxas stop in his tracks.

"Huh? Who said that?" he shouts, looking around.

"But then again, I'm not you and you're not me. So proceed if you don't mind not coming back" comes the voice again.

"Hey, who are you? Show yourself..." says Roxas before spotting a pair of eyes that seemed to be floating in mid air just above a tree branch.

A large grin forms beneath the eyes as the creature begins humming a tune to itself. The rest of it finally appears, revealing itself to be a plump purple and pink striped cat. "Greetings outsider, is this better for your needs?"

"You...your a cat" says Roxas.

"Correction, I'm a Cheshire Cat, here to guide you along the way. Heed my words and ye shall never stray" says the cat.

"Cheshire...um, is it OK if I call you CC then?" asked Roxas.

"If you must then I don't mind a the double C's will save us time" says the cat before disappearing, only to reappear on top of Roxas's head. The sudden weight sends Roxas stumbling around for a moment before finding his balance.

"So what did you mean before about not going into that darker section of the forest?" asked Roxas, his eyes looking up at the cat, who brings his head down to have a face to face.

"You don't know? Well let me say you'll find the Jabberwock within this darkened glade."

"The what?" asked Roxas.

The Cheshire Cat hops up onto its tippy toes and does a little twirl before leaping down onto the ground, dancing around Roxas while reciting the poem.

**Twas brillig, and the slithy toves**  
**Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;**  
**All mimsy were the borogoves,**  
**And the mome raths outgrabe.**

**"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!**  
**The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!**  
**Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun**  
**The frumious Bandersnatch!"**

**He took his vorpal sword in hand:**  
**Long time the manxome foe he sought—**  
**So rested he by the Tumtum tree,**  
**And stood awhile in thought.**

**And as in uffish thought he stood,**  
**The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,**  
**Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,**  
**And burbled as it came!**

**One, two! One, two! and through and through**  
**The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!**  
**He left it dead, and with its head**  
**He went galumphing back.**

**"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?**  
**Come to my arms, my beamish boy!**  
**O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"**  
**He chortled in his joy.**

**'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves**  
**Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;**  
**All mimsy were the borogoves,**  
**And the mome raths outgrabe.**

"The Jabberwock? I wonder if it could be some sort of Heartless?" wonders Roxas as he thinks on it.

"A child of shadows it is not, the Jabberwock a creature wrought in guarding the deepest grove where only the most worthy may go" says the Cheshire Cat.

"You mean it guards the Keyhole?" asked Roxas.

"And what you would know of keys and holes?" asked the cat, grinning fiercely at him.

"More than you might think" says Roxas as he holds out his right hand, summoning forth the Kingdom Key. Seeing make the Cheshire Cat laugh aloud as its head pops off from its body, which then jumps atop the head, balancing upon it and rolling it around.

"Twas a long time since last I saw nigh of your kind here. I assume your coming is concerning the beast that live beyond the shadows of the world?" asked the cat.

Roxas nods, saying "Yeah, I'm on a mission to find worlds that have had their barriers weakened enough to allow the Heartless to appear within them. Have you seen any Heartless and do you know where the Keyhole is? Does this Jabberwock creature guard it by chance?"

"The shadows, no, I haven't seen? The barrier still serves its need. As for the Keyhole itself. Again, no, the Jabberwock doesn't guard it but something of equal importance" says the cat.

"Oh, I see. Well, that's good to know anyways. Anyways, do you know where the Keyhole is by any chance? I'll check back here every so often to make sure things are still stable and if it isn't, I can seal the Keyhole then" asked Roxas.

"The location..." says the Cheshire Cat, it's body jumping off its head, then picking it up and spinning it around atop a finger before plopping it back onto its shoulders. "One would assume a keyhole would be upon a door. Find the door and you'll find the keyhole. Does that help?"

"Not really" admits Roxas. "But something tells me this is a test on your part, huh?"

"And something tells you you're right" joked the cat.

"By the way, do you have any idea how I get out of here...Wonderland, I mean. I fell down a rabbit hole in coming here and I need to find my way back so I can return home" asked Roxas.

"Well, you can go this way. Or that way, or this or that; here or there" says the cat as multiple arms shoot from its body, pointing in all directions. "No matter which way you go, you'll eventually reach an exit...and a beginning to follow it."

"Gee, thanks..." says Roxas, not having any idea on what to do. He sighs, deciding to retrace his steps and see if he could climb out the way he came in.

"Anytime, Keybearer" says the cat as it swings it tail around, making its body disappear.

"Hey, one last question" says Roxas suddenly making the cat stop and look at him. "The Vorpal Blade mentioned in that poem. Is there any chance that it may have been some sort of Keyblade?"

"Perhaps you'll find your answer next time" chimes the cat before humming to itself and fading from sight. Alone again, Roxas recalls the path he had walked and heads off to return to the bottom of the rabbit hole, failing to notice another pair of eyes watching him from deep within the darkened forest.

A while later, he emerges from the forest, seeing the small door that could talk against the far wall, and he then remembers he was to big to pass through. "Great, now what?"

He gets is answer when a hard slap lands against his back. "Hey, there you are Roxas. I was worried I may have lost you for a bit. I can't imagine the trouble I'd be in if I lost our sole Keybearer on his first mission."

"Huh, Xigbar? How did you find me here?" asked Roxas, feeling relieved to see him.

"Duh, I used the auto tracker to find you. Glad you decided to show up here when you did. After having to deal with that obstinate door, I wasn't looking forward to seeing what else this world within a world had to offer us" says Xigbar.

"Then you got off lucky then" says Roxas. "You're not going to believe the stuff I've seen here over the last few hours."

"I'll bet" says Xigbar. "But save the explanations till we give our official report back home." Xigbar then aims his communicator at some empty space, making a portal for them to use. "So, find any Heartless or the Keyhole?"

"Nope, you?"

"Double nope."

And with that, they enter the portal, returning to Never Was.

**(later that night)**

"Well, it looks like you had quite in interesting first mission" says Axel as he and Roxas step off the glowing path and walking into the cityscape.

"Tell me about it. And the thing of it is, I doubt I even saw half of the oddities that world had to offer" says Roxas, getting a laugh out of Axel. "I hope the other worlds aren't like that one."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Most worlds have some level of sanity to them. And also, we won't have to worry about this Wonderland world again for a while so there's no worries about return trips happening anytime soon" says Axel.

"But shouldn't we at least locate the Keyhole though?" asked Roxas as they enter the large plaza.

"We can send some Dusk in for that little detail. It'll probably take them a while, but I'm sure they'll find it eventually. I mean, they did find Twilight Towns keyhole after all. Oh good, we're here" says Axel coming to a stop.

Roxas stops as well, realizing they had stopped in front on the massive skyscraper that was built into the city. "Why did you bring me here to...what is this place anyways?"

"Memory Skyscraper" says Axel as he walks forward. "Follow me and you'll see why we're here."

Roxas does as told, following Axel up the steps and into the tower. After walking through the lobby, they enter an elevator and Axel press's a button marked F-13 on it. As they ride up to the floor, Axel says "Each floor from F-2 up is given to each of us members of the Organization to use as we see fit."

"You mean we have an entire floor to ourselves?" asked Roxas.

"That's right. The floor, though anyone can enter it, belongs solely to one of the members and as such, only one of the members can make changes to it. And F-13 belongs to you, Roxas" says Axel as a ping rings out and the door opens.

"What?" says Roxas, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. He steps out and finds himself standing upon the clock tower within Twilight Town. "How...am I back home?"

Axel places his hand on Roxas shoulder, saying "Not exactly. All you see here is an illusion. A very realistic illusion but an illusion all the same. I know you left this place behind but I felt maybe having this here would make you feel more at ease and counter any future feelings of home sickness."

"Besides..." adds Axel as he takes a seat upon the edge. "...the view of the sunset here is unbeatable."

Roxas joins him in sitting on the edge. "Yeah, it really is. Thanks for this, Axel."

"Sure thing, partner" says Axel. "Oh, and here's another treat from home." Axel the reveals two bars of sea salt ice cream and offers one to Roxas. "I brought a couple back and Vexen, though he complained it was a waste of his talents, was able to make a machine that can easily recreate it. Now, we can come here after an assignment every day and watch the sunset while eating this salty yet sweet treat."

"Yeah..." says Roxas before taking a bite. This had been a weird transition for him. But now, he had a feeling he would be just fine here now.

The next morning, Roxas is roused from his sleep by a rather rough, if not outright violent, shaking. Opening his eyes, he sees Larxene giving him a hard stare. "About time you woke up."

Roxas groans as he sits up, rubbing his eyes. "What's up?" he asked.

"Get dressed. The boss has summoned all us of for an emergency meeting" says Larxene.

Thirty minutes later, everyone had gathered and where sitting in their chairs, awaiting Xemnas's announcement.

"My friends, our fortunes have been most bountiful as of late. Just a few days before, we were graced with the addition of a Keybearer into our ranks. And now, fortune has blessed us again with the appearance of another" comes Xemnas. As his words end, everyone hears the sound of foot steps approaching the chamber.

"Now, allow me to introduce another of the Keyblade's chosen ones" says Xemnas as a figure walks into the room, already dressed in the black coat of the Organization. The person was small in form, likely a few inch's smaller in size than Roxas. "Behold, our 14th member..."

**to be continued**

**Secret Report 6:**

Xigbar had left Roxas back at the forest to start exploring while he headed off to the town to see if he could find the Keyhole anywhere within. Or, at least, that's what he had told Roxas he was doing anyways. And while there was some truth in those words, Xigbar actually had another, more important mission to do besides.

Pulling out the communicator and switching it to the one mode Roxas's communicator didn't have, he finds his signal and begins to follow it, soon finding himself being led to a large, beautiful garden built into the back yard of a large, spacious mansion.

Within the yard was a girl with golden blonde hair, playing with a small kitten. She was wearing a blue and white dress and a blue ribbon tied into her hair. There was no questioning it. She was the one for this world.

"Alice, it's time for your piano lessons" comes the voice of an older woman from within the house.

"Coming, sister" returns Alice. "Come on, Dinah. We can play some more later" she adds as she picks up the cat and runs into the house.

Xigbar grins before looking at the device, making sure he had captured her image perfectly. "Enjoy your freedom while you can, Princess of Heart. When the time comes, we will be back for you..."

**AN: **As it was, sort of, requested of me, I want to give a shout out to **superstoyboi124**, or **Thomas**, as requested via PM. He's a writer here on FF and has his own stories on this site as well. If you have the time and are a KH fan, go take a look at them.


	8. Xion, Key of Fate

**AN:** If this chapter feels a little lacking in some areas, then sorry about that. Due to being jobless for a while now and unable to pay my bills, I am having to move into my brothers place for the next month or two as I work to get my life back on track. If there are any improvements that need to be made (that any of you notice and alert me to), I shall do so upon my return.

And this is likely the last chapter I'll release for a while do to the above problem. But fear not for I shall return with all new chapters as soon as I possibly can. Maybe I'll even have multiple chapters to give you as I do have plenty of time to write them.

Also, Xion's personallity in most of this chapter is meant to be like Rei's from Evangelion for reasons that will become clear in the secret report...well, clearer at least.

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.8: Xion, Key of Fate**

"Now, allow me to introduce another of the Keyblade's chosen ones" says Xemnas as a figure walks into the room, already dressed in the black coat of the Organization. The person was small in form, likely a few inch's smaller in size than Roxas. "Behold, our 14th member..."

"Wait, where did you find him?" asked Vexen suddenly, finding the idea that they had stumbled upon another so soon after finding Roxas hard to believe.

"You may be a scientist, but you're also an idiot" shouts Larxene, making a vein pop out on Vexen's forehead for being called an idiot. "Anyone with half a brain should be able to tell that this guy is a GIRL!"

Vexen looks at the newly arrived member and studies the shape the black coat had on the body and realizes that it was indeed a girls body. "Fine, I stand corrected. But if you dare to call me an idiot again, I'll..."

"ENOUGH" shouts Lexaeus much to everyone's surprise, his voice making both Vexen and Larxene shrink back.

Xemnas looks at him and nods to show his thanks. "After the rest of you left on your own respected missions, I decided to go on one myself as I don't often get a chance to leave Never Was. While searching a darkened city street, I detected Heartless activity and went to investigate. I then found this one, sitting in a darkened alley way with Shadow approaching her. He prepared to intervene, but I was shocked to see a Keyblade appear in her hand which slew the Shadow's. I took it upon myself to bring her back here as it seemed she had no where else to go."

Everyone then looks to the hooded girl again, waiting to see if she said anything. But she remained silent as they stared are her. Xigbar turns to Xemnas and ask "So, what's her deal anyways?"

"I believe she is an orphan, living in the alley way based on her malnourished appearance, shabby clothing, and her basic overall state. In truth, she hasn't even spoken a single word to me since I encountered her" says Xemnas.

"So, you kidnapped her from her world then?" asked Roxas.

"If you saw what and where she was living when I found her, would you not have taken her as well?" asked Xemnas. "Besides, she didn't offer up any resistance as I brought her here. There for I assume she was fine with it."

"So, does she have a name at least?" asked Axel.

"As she refuses to talk with me, I have decided to call her Xion until such time as she feels ready and willing to to tell us her true name" says Xemnas.

Zexion studies her a bit more, wandering what she might look like beneath the hood. "Would you mind showing us your face, miss...Xion?"

Xion doesn't respond; doesn't even bother to look up at Zexion. She just remains still, standing there like a statue. "Can you at least show us your Keyblade you have?" asked Zexion.

Again, Xion does nothing but staring into the empty air.

"Looks like you found yourself a good friend their, Larxene" laughs Xigbar which gets her into another rage rant about her not wasting her time with some mute street rat.

"I think that is enough for today" says Xemnas as he stands and floats down to the ground. He then walks over to Xion and places his hand on her shoulder. "Go, prepare for today's missions. You shall all be leaving within the hour." And with that, he leads Xion out of the room.

But as they leave the room, Xion turns back long enough to look at Roxas. Though he wasn't sure, giving the space between them, but he thought he had seen a smile form on her lips as she was looking at him.

After getting some breakfast and making sure he was ready, Roxas heads to the gate room and finds Saix there waiting for him. "Sorry for being late" says Roxas as he comes running up. "I got a little turned around on my way here."

"Don't worry about it. You'll learn the lay of the land in time" says Saix.

"So, who am I going on a mission with today?" asked Roxas, looking around and seeing no one except himself and Saix in the room.

"At the request of lord Xemnas, you'll be taking Xion along with you today" says Saix.

"Xion?" says Roxas, looking around again and finally taking notice of her off in a darkened corner, staring out a large window. "Oh, I didn't see her over there."

"Xion, over here please" says Saix, getting the hooded girl to turn and walk to them. Once she had joined them, Saix looks to Roxas and says "Lord Xemnas has only told me of this, but Xion seems to have trouble summoning forth her Keyblade at will."

"She can't...but I thought lord Xemnas had seen her summon one before? Isn't that the reason why he brought her here to begin with?" asked Roxas.

"It's not that she can't, she just doesn't know how to do it of her own free will. Instead, the Keyblade appearing in her hand before was a self defensive instinct on her part, or so Xemnas assumes. This is why we want you to work with her till she can summon it forth simply by willing it" says Saix.

Roxas looks at Xion, then back to Saix and says "I don't know how I can help her but I'll do what I can."

Saix nods, then turns his attention to the portal. "The world you'll be going to is one we have visited before. There have been Heartless sightings in this world in the past, though they are still minor in their numbers. For today's mission, just focus on releasing as many hearts as you can while aiding Xion."

"Understood" says Roxas. He then looks at Xion and says "Ready to go?"

She doesn't respond verbally to his question; but instead just steps forward into the portal. "Friendly, isn't she?" says Roxas before letting out a sigh. Why did he have a feeling today was going to be a long day for him?

"See if you can help her open up too while you're there, if you can, Roxas" says Saix, patting him on the shoulder. "When you arrive, you'll be outside a coliseum like structure. Simply pass through the massive double doors along the wall to enter the city and explore around there. Return once the sun starts to set."

"Right" says Roxas before following Xion into the portal.

After passing through the corridor of twilight, Roxas emerges and quickly finds himself someplace that definitely didn't look like a coliseum or a city that held it. He was in a dank, dark cave. "Um...this isn't what I was expecting. Hey, Saix..."

Roxas turns around and finds the portal had already closed on him which makes him sigh again. He then reach's into his pocket and pulls out the communicator and tries to contact Saix, but finds the device unresponsive. "I'm beginning to think I was given the defective model? What do you think...Xion?"

Roxas just now noticed it. There was no sign of Xion anywhere nor had he seen her when he had emerged from the portal beforehand. Had she been sent to the right spot while he had ended up elsewhere? Was this some kind of joke he was being played?

"Xion, hey XION? If you can hear me, say...oh wait, I doubt she would given the silent treatment she's been giving everyone up till now" groans Roxas before taking a moment to study his surroundings.

At least from what he could see, it wasn't all bad as he had emerged from the portal in what appeared to be a dead end with a path leading...somewhere in this place. With no other choice available to him, Roxas proceeds down the sole path and around a corner. He then sees Xion's form at the end of the tunnel. "Hey, Xion..." he yells as he runs forward.

The hooded girl looks back at him as he reach's her, then back to where she had been looking before. Coming to a stop next to her, Roxas says "Man, I thought I had lost you there for a second. Please don't go wandering off again like that, OK?"

Xion remains silent, though she does extend her arm out, pointing to a spot Roxas assumed she was wanting him to look. "What is it?" he asked as he looked to the direction she was pointing.

Immediately, his eyes go wide at what he was seeing. Before them, beyond the edge, was a deep abyss with an ethereal green colored energy pulsing from the deep and spectral forms the looked somewhat human seemed to be swirling into this abyss, the spectral beings coming from a hole above.

"Man, this is really freaky" says Roxas, finally noticing how cold it was in this place. He then looks around and sees another path that sloped upwards. "I really hope that will lead us out of this place. Let's go, Xion."

Roxas starts to walk forward, but looks back after several steps and sees that Xion hadn't moved. He walks back to her and gets her to turn towards him while saying "Come on, Xion. Something tells me we shouldn't be in a place like this." He then takes her by the hand and leads her up the path, unaware that his hand touching hers had causes a slight shift in her dull, vacant eyes.

After three hours of walking and only finding more and more paths to walk through in this cave, Roxas decides they should stop and take a break. "Xion, go ahead and rest a little, OK?" He then takes a seat on the ground and, after several moments of looking at him, Xion also finally sits as well.

The next few minutes seemed to last forever for Roxas as his gaze shifted from Xion to various parts of the cave and back to her again. Feeling that he needed to liven things up, he decides to try to strike up a conversation with her.

"So, Xion, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" asked Roxas.

She keeps her silence which makes him sigh. "Well, how about this. I'll tell you about me and where I'm from, then you can tell me about you...if you want to that is." Roxas then tells her about Twilight Town, his friends, how he became aware of his skills of a Keybearer, and how he came to be with the Organization. "And that's everything I guess. So, what about you Xion?"

Again, she doesn't break her silence. "Come on, Xion. Can't you at least say something?"

"Silence please."

Roxas blinks several times, not sure if he had actually heard that? Had she just talked to him, even if it had been in a dull, emotionless tone, and had asked him to be silent? "Xion? So you can..."

"Please be quiet. I can't hear them?" she says again.

"Hear them? Hear who..." asked Roxas before other his ears finally heard it too. Apart from his voice, there were two other sets of voices speaking out, echoing through the caves they were in. "What is that?" he wonders while Xion gets up and heads in the direction of the new voices.

"I heard them before. When I first came through the portal" she says, passing by him, indicating she hadn't wandered off before but had gone to investigate the sounds she had heard.

Jumping back to his feet, Roxas says "Hey, wait for me" and follows after her.

Further down the path and around several twist and turns, stood two imp like creatures. One of them, the fatter of the two, was using his pointy tail to clean some wax out of its ears while the other, thin and gangly, was fidgeting with his tail while running around nervously.

"What are we gonna do, what are we gonna do, what are we gonna do" says the thin imp. "Lord Hades gave us very specific instructions and if we don't get them done soon, he's gonna deep fry us."

"But how are we suppose to get past those shadow creatures that have blocked off the entrance?" asked the fatter one. "We tried everything we have in our arsenal and all it did was make more of them appear."

"I know that" says the thin one. "Oh man, we're dead meet."

"Hey, you two?" comes Roxas as he arrives first as Xion had slowed up upon seeing them. Immediately, the two imps shriek out as they cling to each other in fear.

"Oh no, the dead have risen to take us below" cries the thin one.

"Well, I guess we were gonna have to kiss our a..."

"Wait, wait, wait" says Roxas in a rush, breaking into the fat one speech. "What do you mean about the dead having risen? Me and my partner here aren't dead..." He then looks back at Xion, asking "Are we?" She doesn't respond.

"You're not?" says the thin one as the two imps break from their fearful hug and approach Roxas. "Hey, I think he's right."

The fat one nods, saying "You're right. I can't see through them nor do that have those twitchy tails for legs. But just what are they then?"

"I'm Roxas. And she's Xion. We..." Roxas hesitates for a moment as he thinks about what to say.

"Oh, OK" says the fat one. "I'm Pain."

"And I'm Panic" adds the thin one before they both say in unison "ground keepers of the Underworld."

"Underworld?" says Roxas, looking over the cave like structure. "So that's what this place is called?"

"Now, tell us why you two are down here? Only the dead or demons like us should be down here?" asked Panic.

"Well..." says Roxas, scratching the back of his head. "We...were heading to a coliseum for...an important event but I guess we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up down here."

"Boy, that's some wrong turn you took there. You ever thought about getting a GPS?" asked Pain.

"Um...GPS?" asked Roxas.

"Yeah, GPS. You know, the God's Pathway Seeker" says Pain.

"I...never heard of that before" admits Roxas.

"Not surprising seeing as have to be either a VIP or a true hero in order to qualify for one of those" says Panic.

"Well, putting that aside for now, is there any chance you two could show us the way out of here by any chance? Like you noticed before, we really shouldn't be here" asked Roxas.

"Sorry, no can do" says Pain.

"Actually, it's more like no can't do" adds Panic.

"What do you mean?" asked Roxas.

"Well, we're heading up to the surface ourselves. The boss has us running a little errand for him. But there's these weird black, shadow creature standing between us and the entrance and nothing we do seem to hurt them. As long as they remain, we won't be going anywhere fast" says Panic.

_'Black, shadow...wait, do they mean the Heartless?'_ wonders Roxas. "How about this, me and Xion come with you and we'll take care of these shadow creatures and in return, you'll help us find the exit?"

"I don't know, what do you think, Pain?" asked Panic.

"Oh, might as well. It'll be a nice change of pace to see someone else getting their butts kicked for a change" says Pain.

Roxas holds out his hand, making his Keyblade appear which makes the two imps jump in surprise. "My butt won't be so easily kicked, I can promise you that."

Pain and Panic look at him, seeing the confidence he has , then at his Keyblade, then at each other and nod. "You're funeral then. It's this way" says Panic as he and Pain lead them down the path towards the entrance.

It didn't take the twin imps long to lead Roxas and Xion to where they had encountered the Shadow's. Pain, then Panic, and finally Roxas peek their heads around the corner; taking a quick glimpse of the situation. "There they are" says Pain.

Roxas does a quick count and says "OK, ten of them isn't bad. I should be able to take them all out easy. And since we have the advantage of a sneak attack...hey, Xion. What are you doing?"

As Roxas had been talking, Xion had just kept walking around the corner and was now approaching the Heartless; the sound of her foot steps getting the Shadow's attentions real quick. They then charge at her while Roxas groans before running out to join her while his Keyblade appears in hand.

Starting with a Strike Raid attack, Roxas defeats two of the ten, then calls his Keyblade back into his hand while doing a quick spin, slicing through another pair. One jumps into the air while another sinks into the ground and moves like a Shadow at him, forcing Roxas to jump in the air and strike at the airborne Heartless before coming down and slashing the grounded one as it was rising up. He then sees two more trying to gang up on Xion who makes no move to defend herself and he jumps back, taking out one before launching another Strike Raid to take out the other.

"OK, where's the last two?" he says, then he spots Pain and Panic; seeing them actually take out the last two Shadow's themselves. He then looks at Xion and ask "What were you doing back there? Walking out like that and not even trying to attack or defend yourself? Are you wanting to be hurt or something?"

She doesn't respond again which makes him growl in frustration then walk over to the two imps. He was beginning to wonder if Xemnas wasn't just playing some sort of joke on them all? "Say, did you two really need my help? You guys handled those Shadow's pretty well just now."

"Oh, you mean those little guys?" asked Panic. "Oh no, those were the easy ones."

"Yeah, it was those other guys we couldn't seem to harm" adds Pain.

"Other guys?" says Roxas before feeling something happening behind him. Turning quickly, he barely has enough time to bring his Keyblade up in defense as a new Heartless, one who's head was protected by a helmet and red claws in it hands attacked him.

"OK, this is new" he says, pushing the Heartless off him; watching it somersault back through the air to land on its feet. "Stay back, you two " he says before going on the attack.

These new Heartless, the Soldier's, battled differently than any Heartless he had faced before. They were faster and stronger than those he had battled previously and they showed more skill and cunning than what he had experienced before too. It took a bit more effort, but he was still able to defeat them all the same. But when it was finally down to just one, the sole survivor breaks away from Roxas, moving fast to strike down Xion.

"No" yells Roxas, jumping in between Xion and the Soldier, taking a powerful hit that sends him flying. But before he can hit the ground, he manages to get off one final Strike Raid, taking out the last of the Soldier's, saving them all from being heartlessed to.

"Hey, you OK?" asked Pain as he and Panic come running up.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Though that Heartless can hit pretty hard though" says Roxas as he picks himself up.

Xion, meanwhile, walks over to the Keyblade, which was now laying on the ground, and picks it up with her left hand before walking over to Roxas. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Why did I...what do you mean?" he asked before realizing she was referring to his taking the hit meant for her. "Because you and I are teammates, partners, after all. We take care of each other. That's what...what friends do."

"Friends?" she says. "I don't know what that word means. I've never heard anyone use that word before."

"You don't know what a friend is, huh? Well..." Roxas then scratch's the back of his head, trying to think of the best explanation he could give her. "...well, I guess a friend is someone you care about. You laugh together, have fun together, and enjoy being around. They're someone you know you can trust."

Xion tilts her head to the side inside her hood as she thinks about what Roxas had just told her. "I still don't understand." She then hands his Keyblade back to him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you will in time" he says encouragingly. He then looks at Pain and Panic, asking "So, any more of those Heartless around here or are we good to go towards the entrance."

"I think that was all of them" says Panic.

"We'll know once we get outside. Come on, its this way" says Pain, leading the way.

After another ten minutes of walking through the seemingly never ending caverns, they finally pass into a massive chamber with a sloping path on the far end, leading up to a crack in the wall with sun light filtering through from the outside.

"We're finally here" shouts Pain excitedly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I never thought I'd be so happy to see the rays of the sun passing into the Underworld."

"Wait, something's missing though" says Panic, feeling a bit nervous. "Where's Cerberus at?"

"Cerberus?" asked Roxas.

"The guard dog to the Underworld. Cerberus is charged with making sure no deceased spirits escape after death" says Pain.

"Maybe he decided to take a nap or is chewing up poor Charon" says Panic.

Roxas looks around as well before feeling something wet and gooey hit his shoulder, making him look to see a giant glob of slobber coming down from above. Looking up, he sees a massive, three head beast which roars before swiping at him with its massive clawed paw.

"Holy...that things a dog?" he yells.

"Easy there, Cerberus" says Panic in a soothing tone. "This one isn't dead."

"Yeah, his coat kind a smells all funky from being down here though" jokes Pain before the two imps get blasted back with a roar.

"Not very friendly is he?" asked Roxas, jumping up and catching them.

"Something's wrong here. Cerberus usually doesn't act like this unless you are an escaping spirit" says Pain. "Though he does like trying to use us a chew toys every now and then."

Panic looks at Cerberus carefully, then notices a weird purple mist was rising from its body and what appeared to be some sort of pimple like growth present on its forehead. "Something must be controlling him. That's the only explanation."

"It has to be the Heartless" says Roxas, putting them down then charging at Cerberus.

The massive dog attacks again, though Roxas jumps over its swipe and takes the opportunity to land on the outstretched limb, running up it to attack the growth. But one of the heads turns to him, blasting him off with a roar that nearly sends him into the dark, murky river present in the cave.

"Don't fall in there" warns Panic. "You'll die if you do."

Roxas quickly picks himself up, saying "Thanks for the heads up", then turns his attention back to Cerberus. As the three headed dog approach's him, one of its heads turns to look around and spot Xion standing still watching everything.

And then, with one quick swipe of its tail, Xion is knocked off her feet, falling hard onto the ground. "Xion" yells Roxas, being distracted long enough for Cerberus to make contact with his paw and send him flying. But Cerberus doesn't go after him, but instead chooses to target Xion as she picks herself back up.

Just as she gets to her feet, she realizes a shadow had come over her and looks to see Cerberus as it raises a paw up, preparing to crush her with it. What happens next happens quicker than she could act. Roxas had some how recovered from being hit and had also managed to run in, pushing her clear while taking the hit himself and was now pinned down onto the ground, unmoving.

Recovering quickly, Xion sees him lying helpless as one of the Cerberus heads looks at him. It was preparing to eat him. "Roxas..." she says as her mind recalls his words to her before about them being friends an partners and the fact he had saved her twice now at the expense of him being injured by doing so. She then sees the Kingdom Key lying close to her on the ground.

And inside her, something is triggered...

Suddenly filled with a desire to fight, to protect Roxas, Xion rush's forward, taking hold of the Keyblade in mid run while crying out; her voice catching the attention of Cerberus who turns all three of its heads towards her and unleashes a powerful triple roar.

Though pushed back a bit by this, Xion fights on as she emulates Roxas and throws the Kingdom Key, nailing the central head right between the eyes which makes it jerk and cause Cerberus to howl in pain. Then running forward and catching the Keyblade as he falls, she does a jump, landing on one of the other heads as it tries to bite her, smacking the growth with the Keyblade, then leaping onto the other as it tries to attack and attacking the growth on it as well. The second head jerks upwards at her action, allowing her to get some air and land on the beast back. It tries to shake her off, but she holds firm while making her way to the central head and slashing at the growth on it.

A loud shrieking sound fills the cavern as a ball of dark mist comes flying out of Cerberus, attempting to escape, but Xion sees it and reacts in time, jump at it and striking it with the Keyblade, destroying it. She lands back on the ground and runs over to Roxas who was now freed from Cerberus's crushing paw.

"Hey, Roxas? Roxas? Are you OK?" she asked in a worried tone.

Roxas groans before his eyes finally open, making Xion sigh out in relief. "My name...that's the first time you ever said it" he says, making her look away as she felt her cheeks warming a little.

"Well, yeah. It is your name. What, do you not want me to call you Roxas?" asked Xion.

Roxas chuckles, then shakes his head. Something had changed in her, he could feel it and hear it. Maybe she would be alright with them after all. "No, Roxas is fine. In fact, I have a feeling everything will be fine."

Once he was back on his feet, Roxas look at Pain and Panic, who were attending do Cerberus, and ask "He's he going to be OK?"

"Oh yeah" says Pain.

"Once he gets a little rest, he'll be back to his usual grumpy guard dog self" adds Panic. "But for now, let's lead you guys outside like we promised."

**(a few minutes later, outside the Underworld)**

"Well, here we are" says Panic. "The world outside the Underworld."

Roxas and Xion stare out onto the massive expanse of land, seeing the outline of a city in the distance. "That over there is Thebes, a city filled with all manor of rabble rousers" notes Pain.

"Speaking of which, we better hurry up and get to work or else the boss will get pretty mad at us" says Panic before looking at Roxas and Xion, bowing. "Thanks for your help back there."

"Hope we get to see you again" adds Pain as the two imps go running off.

"Thanks for helping us get outside" yells Roxas out to them. He then looks over the landscape again and adds "Such a peaceful place. You'd never think there would be some place like the Underworld connected to it."

"Yeah..." says Xion as she steps forward, pulling her hood off for the first time to reveal her short cut, black hair and blue colored eyes. "It's so warm and nice out here that I can't help be feel...alive."

Roxas stares at her, not expecting her to be so...was cute the word he was looking for? He wasn't sure, but he then realizes something. It was an odd feeling that he didn't know where it was coming from within him, but he couldn't help but feel he had seen her somewhere before...

"So, what do we do now?" asked Xion, looking at him. "The sun hasn't started to set yet and we were told to stay here until then."

Roxas leaves his thoughts for now as he thinks on her question. "Well, the city is a little ways out and it may not be worth going there this trip." He then pulls out the communicator and sees it appeared to be working perfectly again for the moment. "Say, do you have the ability to wield the Keyblade, Xion?"

"I don't know, to be honest. I recall one appearing in my hand when I first met...our leader and I know I felt something familiar when I was holding yours before." She then holds her hand out, but nothing happens from her doing this. "But I can't seem to call it out now."

"Then that's what we'll do till sun set then" says Roxas as he summons forth his Keyblade, then hands it over to Xion to hold. "Saix said I should help you learn the basic's and while I still don't know everything there is to know, I'll teach you as much as I can. OK?"

Xion looks at him, then smiles happily at him and says "OK, master Roxas."

Roxas chuckles, then says "Lets leave the master bit out, alright. I don't think I qualify for that title yet." They both then laugh as the training session begins.

Meanwhile, back down in the Underworld, within a dark chamber, stood a being with gray skin and hair of blue fire, looking into a cauldron as he watched what had happened within his realm.

"What is this? A couple of non stiffs and some freaky shadow creatures running around my Underworld? Those things even took control of my guard dog. I don't know if I should be furious or intrigued by them?"

A laugh suddenly rings out, making Hades look around as a woman's voice is heard. "I sparked an interested in you I see. Well then, my friend, how about we make a deal..." Hades then sees a portal of black and green fire appear next to his throne and something feminine like steps through.

**To be continued...**

**Secret Report 7:**

Xemnas sat back in his chair, watching the monitor in his private chambers and seeing Roxas and Xion had made it safely back from their first mission together. Xion's face was still being hidden behind the hood of her coat and she seemed to still be giving people the silent treatment.

But he could tell something had changed with her.

How did he know? Because he was noticing what no one else would. She was standing closer to Roxas than she had been before they had left and this wasn't because of it being because they had just returned or because of it being were they both had stopped. No, he had left it in her mind to stand a certain distance from him unless something had changed within her mind that made her accept him.

It had all been part of his plan.

Before she had awakened, he he placed certain mental conditions upon her. First, she would be distant with everyone, including Roxas; not only being quiet but to keep her face hidden as well. Also, she wouldn't be able to call the fake Keyblade forth in the beginning either.

It had been his hope that during this first mission, which he had arranged for them to be sent off course and into a dangerous area, that Xion would be put in danger as she wouldn't respond to any threat at first so Roxas would save her. That, along with her touching his Keyblade at least once, would trigger something within her mind to make her start to open up to him.

Her ability to wield a Keyblade would also come from "training" with him and his Keyblade. She would retain her shy, distant persona while here so as to keep up appearances for now. Plus, there were some within his Organization who would ask unneeded questions if they saw her face.

And now, seeing as everything had gone the way he had hoped, it was all up to them. They would continue to go on mission together, though not every mission, and become closer and closer which would lead to her heart finally truly awakening. And then...

Roxas would no longer be needed and the fragment he held would be his once again...


	9. More Somebody than Nobody

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.9: More Somebody than Nobody**

_The ground shook violently as the girl ran desperately for her life. Behind her, a wave of Heartless both big and small gave chases while to each of her sides, everything was being wiped away by the darkness that was consuming her world._

_After passing through some dense foliage, the girl was forced to come to a sudden stop as she had reached a cliff edge that fell into an abyss of darkness. She backs away from the edge, then feels the threat from behind her. She looks back and seeing the Heartless were nearly upon her._

_What was she going to do? Even the best of her clan couldn't outfight these things, what chance did she have? And even if she could fight them, it would all be pointless anyways as her world, her very life, was ending right before her eyes. She she makes the only choice left to her._

_She back up to the edge and falls..._

Larxene's open wide as she awakens from the dream. She sits up, panting heavily as her eyes dart quickly, trying to recall where it was she was now. After several seconds, it comes back to her. She was in her room, within her own personal tower, within the twilight realm city of Never Was. She gets up from her bed and walks over to a mirror and looks at herself.

"I hate it when I remember those days..." she says before going to bathe in preparation for today.

**(an hour later)**

"Come on, lazy" says Xaldin, giving Demyx a hard push towards the portal. "We all have work to do. Even YOU.

"But I'm not feeling so well" complained Demyx, trying to act weak and sickly.

"We don't feel anything...like that you idiot. Now..." retorts Xaldin before planting his foot into Demyx backside, sending him flying through the portal. "...GET GOING."

"Same old, same old" notes Larxene as she walks into the room and is immediately thrown into a head lock by Xigbar.

"Running late today, princess? What, do you have a split end or something with your hair..." joked Xigbar before a back handed fist from Larxene lands right against his nose, making him release her and stumble back with curses escaping his lips.

"Like I'm the only one who has that problem every now and then" she yells at him, referring to the fact many members of the Organization had rather long and/or outlandish hairstyles. She then approach's Saix and ask "Give me my assignment already..."

"Here..." says Saix in a deadpan tone and wondering if it was possible for female nobodies to suffer from period induced mood swings as she was crabbier than normal today.

Larxene takes the paper and reads it over, then says "Wait, I have to play babysitter with the brat today?"

Saix motions to Roxas to come join them, then looks at Larxene and ask "Will that be a problem?"

"Oh gee, let me think...of course its gonna be a problem. You know I don't like working with others. Never have, never will" she says while crossing her hands over her chest and puffing out her cheeks in a stubborn fashion.

"Well, sorry to hear that and sorry to say I don't really care either. You will be working with Roxas today then you can be happy in knowing you won't have to do it again...at least for a while" says Saix.

Larxene glares at him, wanting to argue her point. But seeing the look he was giving her makes her sigh, knowing there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. "Fine, if I have to..." She then turns to look at Roxas and says "Try not to cause me any trouble...", then brings her weapons out and aims one at Roxas. "...or me and you are gonna have some problems. Got it?"

Roxas gulps and says "Understood, ma'am."

She gives him a nod before entering the portal. "Is she always like that?" asked Roxas.

"You'll get use to it...hopefully" says Saix, though his tone was very confident sounding.

"Here's hoping you're right" says Roxas before stepping towards the portal; stopping only long enough to sneak a peek at Xion, then entering the portal, following after Larxene.

Off in the corner, Xion had watch the scene that had played out, silently agreeing with Roxas on Larxene being scary and she was glad she wasn't stuck with that girl. Though she was feeling a little blue as she was hoping she and Roxas could have worked together again today so she could drop the whole mute, lifeless persona she was keeping up around the others.

"Xion...?" comes Saix, bringing her from her thoughts. She almost replies verbally, but catches herself in time and maintains her silence; instead simply walking forward to stand before him. "You will be working with Lexaeus today. Understood?"

Xion turns to look at the silent giant of a man who had approached her and was now look down at her. He was really intimidating, she thought. But since he was as shy about verbal communication as she was, she had a feeling things would be OK for for the time being.

"Let's go" says Lexaeus as he walks into the portal with Xion following after a few moments later.

**(with Roxas and Larxene)**

After exiting the portal, Roxas quickly takes note of their locations unique features. He could see much plant life around them as well as bamboo, something he had only seen in pictures before in school back in Twilight Town. "Well, this place looks pretty peaceful, huh?" he asked Larxene.

Larxene scoffs at his question as she steps forward and traces a line down one of the bamboo poles with her fingers. "Looks can be deceiving, brat. Let's just hunt down those Heartless and get the heart collection quota finished up for today." She then walks down the only path open to them.

"Sure...OK" says Roxas, following after her.

As Larxene leads the way, her eyes dart from one sight to another, becoming more annoyed with everything she was seeing. "This place..." she mumbles quietly to herself. She hated it.

It reminded her to much of her own world...

**(elsewhere)**

The Mongol warrior made his way silently back towards the encampment he and his men were using for there mission. On the orders of their leader, Shan Yu, they had been sent as an advanced party to determine the potential hazards they would face when the invasion began.

Though it would be difficult, he believed he had found something that could be useful in their attack upon the imperial city. He smiles just a little, knowing his find would likely get rewarded well by their leader and his rewards were known to be quite generous. Well, generous by Mongol standards.

He's dragged from his thoughts by the sudden rustling amongst the foliage, bringing him into being alert as he draws his sword. Had he been seen? Had he been followed? Well, whatever it was, it would regret challenging a Mongol warrior.

**(with Roxas and Larxene)**

"Stop" says Larxene suddenly, coming to a stand still while holding her hand out to make sure Roxas would stop as well. Her eyes quickly begin to scan the area carefully.

"What's wrong?" asked Roxas, stopping while making ready to summon his Keyblade forth if needed.

"Shh" she hush's him before carefully stepping forward. Her battle knives appear, held between her fingers, and sparks of electricity begin to arc around the weapons. "There" she yells suddenly, sending two knives flying into the bush's with several Shadow's leaping out at them in response.

"Get to work, brat" she yells as she jumps back to give Roxas room.

"Right" says Roxas, the Kingdom Key appearing in his hand as he begins slicing through the Shadow's, releasing hearts with each strike.

The fight against the Shadow's was becoming easier, he thought, as they didn't have much in the way of techniques to them. Just swiping with their small hands, jumping at an opponent, or sinking into the ground and moving around as a...well, as a shadow. Simple.

But just when he thought he had slain the last of the Shadow's, anew enemy type he had not seen before appeared. These new Heartless, screeching madly as they move, resembled monkey's with menacing red claws not unlike those other weird looking Heartless he and Xion had encountered back in the Underworld.

"Hey kid, watch out for these ones" warns Larxene as she jumps up and over one that was targeting her. "They're tricky in their attack patterns."

"Right" yells Roxas, charging at one who suddenly goes into a slide that knocks him off his feet momentarily, though he quickly recovers and gets back into the fight.

The Proud Wild that had knocked him to the ground then leaps into the air before going into a spin while coming down at him. Roxas ducks under the attack, then spins around himself and takes the Heartless out with a blow to the back of its head.

Now having an idea on how these Heartless fight, Roxas is able to take out the remaining ones with only a little bit of trouble, an one moment of Larxene having to give him some assistance. "Is it over?" he asked as the last Proud Wild turns into a heart.

"Maybe" says Larxene, looking around and not feeling anything else close by. "Stay alert though. There could be more showing up at any time."

"What were those things, anyways? They don't look like any Heartless I've ever seen before. Just like those weird knight helmeted ones me and Xion encountered the other day too" says Roxas.

"Those were Proud Wilds and the other ones you say you saw sound like Soldier's based on your description" says Larxene. "What, you don't know about the Emblem's?"

Roxas shakes his head, then says "First I've ever heard of them."

Larxene sighs, then grumbles out "Of course I would have to explain it to you seeing as Axel and Xigbar are TO GOOD for that bit. Fine, I'll clue you in then."

After a pause, Larxene says "You already know the basic's about the Heartless. But what you don't seem to know is that they exist in two types; the Pure Bloods and the Emblems. Now, the Pure Bloods are all true Heartless born directly in the Realm of Darkness, like Shadow's and Darkside. Understand so far?"

Roxas nods and Larxene continues her explanation. "Now Emblem's, on the other hand, is what happens when a Pure Blood undergoes some sort of forced transformation by an external force, reshaping them into various forms. You can tell if a Heartless has been transformed if it has the crest planted on their bodies like the Proud Wilds had. Destroy the crest and they'll revert to normal or so they say."

"What kind of external forces? And how can it cause such a change?" asked Roxas.

"You got me" says Larxene. "If you really want to know, ask one of those science loving geeks like Vexen or Zexion back at the castle. All I know is that it happens and that's enough for me. Anyways, lets see if there's any more of those things around here before heading back."

Roxas nods as they begin the search again. As they walk, something from earlier brings up a question within Roxas. "Say, how did you know they were there to begin with?"

"Mind your own business" snaps Larxene before sighing and adding "It's...personal..."

Before she could elaborate, a scream is heard off in the distance. "Come on, brat. Let's go" she says before breaking into a run, heading towards the scream with Roxas in pursuit.

They raced through the foliage, the sounds of the screams becoming louder and louder then suddenly going silent as they moved around one large wall of rock and came to a stop. Standing still, surrounded by bamboo was the Hun warrior, drooped forward slightly and looking at the ground.

"Hey, are you OK?" asked Roxas as he moves in to check on the man.

"Wait, don't get near him" yells Larxene, feeling a foul wind in the air, coming from the motionless man.

Roxas stops within arms length on the man, looks back, and ask "Why?"

A flash lights up the man's eyes before he lash's out suddenly, grabbing Roxas by his neck and squeezing hard while lifting him up in the air. Roxas kicks and struggles to free himself, the act being futile as nothing he does has any effect on the Hun warrior.

Larxene curses beneath her breath as she rush's in to save him but the Hun sees her coming and throws Roxas back hard into her, sending them both flying back and hitting the ground hard. They both recover and look at the Hun who's body had began to release a dark, fiery mist from all around.

The Hun growls as his body shakes; his hands going to his head and grabbing it in a tight hold. He stumbles back as the mist intensifies and then the man looks high into the sky and lets out a final monstrous scream as his body is consumed by the mist.

For a second, all they could see was the mist enveloping the Hun which then blast outwards, revealing the Hun was now gone and had been replaced by something new. A creature with a large, horse like body with a human half at the torso; a centaur like creature who was wielding a lance like weapon.

Roxas sees the emblem symbol upon the creatures chest as he gets up, asking "Is that...a Heartless?"

Larxene gets up as well, saying "Yeah, and Emblem class. It's called Assault Rider." Air blast from the Heartless nose as one of its hooves digs into the ground, preparing it for movement. "But what's going on here? I've never heard of a person becoming an Emblem class directly before?"

The Assault Rider roars like a beast before charging forward, angling the lance before it as if it was in a jousting competition. "Move" yells Larxene before jumping to one side while Roxas, heading her words, jumps in the opposite direction.

The Assault Rider's charge ends up slamming into a tree; the power from the hit causing the tree to split in half due to the impact. "Oh man, that one's a lot stronger than any other Heartless I've faced" says Roxas, though he felt the Darkside was still the more dangerous.

"Just don't let your guard down with this one" warns Larxene before leaping up and throwing some of her electrically charges knives at it. "It will kill you if you don't take the threat seriously."

The Assault Rider sees the attack coming from the corner of its right eye and turns while spinning the lance to make a shield to blocks Larxene's attack. It then rears back and chucks its lance at Larxene who barely dodges it by a hairs length.

"It's vulnerable now" shouts Roxas as he charges in with Keyblade in hand, seeing that without its weapon, he had a good chance to take it out.

Instead, the Assault Rider turns its back to Roxas, which was surprising till Roxas realized to late why. Being part horse, it would act like any horse being attacked from behind and rears both its back feet up, nailing Roxas in the gut which sends him flying back and hitting a tree. The force exerted on his body from both blows makes him cough up blood before collapsing onto the ground in intense pain.

_'Gah, I think that Heartless broke a couple of ribs'_ his mind screams as he tries to recover from the attack.

The Assault Rider raises a hand up which causes the lance to come flying back to it. It then turns its attention at Roxas before charging at the downed Keybearer. In his current state, he was vulnerable; an easy prey. Roxas looks up and sees the lance weapon bearing down at him and he knew it was over.

"No" yells Larxene as she lands on the Heartless's back, grabbing its head and jerking it to the right which causes the whole Heartless to turn off its attack path, saving Roxas from being skewered. She then jumps off just before the Assault Rider collides with another group of trees which come collapsing down onto it.

"That should keep it busy for a moment" she says before turning back and rushing over to Roxas. "Hey, you still with me, brat?"

Roxas coughs as he looks up at her and gives her as best a smile as he can. "Sure, no problem..." he manages to get out despite the pain.

"Trying to act tough isn't a sign of being cool, brat. It's just boy's ego which is something you don't need now" she says before reaching into her coat. "Give me a second. I'm sure I got something in here that can help. Now let me see..."

Roxas was grateful for the help, though he did worry about what her idea of first aid would be. A glint of metal from the trees then catch's his eyes and he sees the lance of the Assault Rider being aimed and thrown right at Larxene, who was to busy searching her coat to even notice.

"Watch out" he yells as he finds the strength inside himself to break past the pain and get to his feet, pushing her clear only to be hit himself in the stomach which sends him flying back and being pinned into a tree.

For a moment that felt like an eternity, Larxene just stood there looking at Roxas pinned helplessly to the tree, unmoving. The deep and slow sounding steps of the Heartless ringing out as it moved forward. Then the lance pulling itself free of Roxas and the tree to return to its master's hand which causes Roxas body to fall upon the ground, showing no sign of life.

Larxene looks back at it as her eyes fill with rage and sparks of lightning erupt from her body as she gives off a battle cry. She charges the Assault Rider, using all her skills learned from her old life to attack it with lighting like furosity.

But the Assault Rider was just as fast, counter her easily due to her less than adequate weapon which weren't suited for fighting an enemy like this. She tries casting several Thunder spells against the Heartless, but the creature easily dodges the strikes or uses its lance to deflect them away.

And then, with a swing of the lance, its sends Larxene flying off to the side and knocking her knives from her hand. She hits a tree and slumps down, her vision blurring as the Assault Rider charges at her for a final attack.

And then her eyes spot Roxas Keyblade laying a few feet away from her. She knew that if she touched it, it would disappear. But maybe it would remain long enough...She dives at the Keyblade, her hand hovering over it as the Heartless approached her. She would need to time this perfectly and hope it worked. The lance thrust forward and she dodges the thrust at the last second while grabbing the Keyblade and, in one swift motion, stabbing it into the Heartless's body.

The Assault Rider rears back in pain; its body breaking apart from the point of contact with the Keyblade which Larxene lets go and watch's as the Assault Rider is defeated, reverting into a grouping of hearts that float off into the sky.

She breaths a sigh of relief, saying "It's over now...wait, Roxas."

The first thing he knows as he comes back to consciousness was the pain he was feeling from his waist. Groaning, he opens his eyes and finds Larxene looking down at him with a relieved look on her face.

"So, finally decided to wake up, huh?" she asked.

"Wha...what happened?" he asked, then recalling the Heartless they had been fighting and tries to sit up quickly, groaning even more now from the increase in the pain he was feeling.

"Easy there, brat" she says, placing a hand on his back to help him sit up. "That elixir I gave you healed you injuries but you'll still need a few days to fully recover properly."

"Thanks" he says before realizing he had been resting on her lap. "Um...sorry for back there."

She shakes her head, saying "I should be thanking you, actually. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way earlier and taken that hit instead, I wouldn't be here now."

"Well, we're on the same team after all so it's only natural we watch each others backs, isn't it?" he asked and gets a nod in response. He then takes a look around and realizes he had been out of it for a good while as the sun had started to set.

"Before, you asked me how I could sense things the way I do" says Larxene suddenly, getting Roxas attention.

"Back then, before I became a Nobody, I was a girl who lived in a village of shadow warriors; ninja's. My clan was known for being very traditional and it was important for tradition to be followed no matter what. And both men and women had their specific roles to play in that tradition."

"The person I was before was nothing like the person I am now. In those days, I was shy and quiet, I usually spoke only when spoken to. And I hated the person I was. I hated the fact I wasn't confident and unable to speak my mind. And then, the day came when my world fell into darkness."

"Imagine my surprise when I found myself in Never Was as a Nobody. And can you imagine that along with that, I found my old issues and insecurities had left me in this state. I was now confident, assertive, and...I was happy. I even chopped off my long hair as a sign of the change I had undergone."

"Wow, it's hard to see you as being a shy little wall flower" admits Roxas.

"I know, right" agreed Larxene. "I'll tell you something else, Roxas. I may be a Nobody now but I have never in my life felt more like a somebody than I did when I became a Nobody. I don't care if I regain my heart or not as I, right now, finally truly feel like a somebody now."

Roxas smiles at her, then he ask "Why did you tell me all this, anyways? I heard you weren't the talkative type where your past is concerned."

"Mm, I wonder" she says. "Maybe I just wanted to finally get my secrets off my chest and you were the first one to come along and prove worthy of hearing them." She then looks at him with a crazy look in her eyes and adds "And if you tell anyone, I'll do horrible things to you...GOT IT?"

Roxas gulps and nods quickly, saying "Got it."

"Glad to hear it" she says before getting it. "Now, in return for your silence, I'll teach you a few things I learned while growing up in a ninja village. I'll teach you how to sense things around you..."

**(that night, back in Never Was)**

Roxas was looking out over the fake Twilight Town that existed within the thirteenth floor of Memory Skyscraper, enjoying the feel of the setting sun upon him even if it to was fake. The pain he had been experiencing earlier had faded and now all that was left was just some minor stiffness that Larxene had assured him would be gone by morning.

"Hey Roxas" comes Xion as she comes walking out from the bell tower and stopping from the awe of the sight she was seeing. "Wow, what an amazing view. Is this really where you lived before?"

"Yeah, pretty nice, huh?" he says, looking back at her as she steps forward and sit down beside him, pulling her hood off. "So, how did your mission with Lexaeus go?"

"It was pretty boring an uneventful. Not much talking from either of us. And the Heartless were all easy too" she says. She then takes on a worried look, saying "But what about you though? I heard you got banged up pretty good during your mission today though."

"I guess you could say that, but as you can see, I'm fine" he says, spreading his arms so she could get a better look at him. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I'm glad..." she says, though she didn't fail to notice the panged look on his face from doing sudden movements. She was worried about him but she could also tell that he wasn't lying about being OK, so it was fine with her for now.

"Oh yeah..." says Roxas as he reach's into his pocket and pulls out two wrapped ice cream bars and hands one to Xion. "Here, try it. I think you'll like it."

Xion takes the bar from Roxas and pulls the wrapper off, revealing the light blue colored treat beneath. "What is it?" she asked.

"Sea Salt Ice Cream" he says before taking a bite. "It's the most popular snack back in Twilight Town."

"Oh..." she says as she studies it a bit more, then takes a bite herself. "Mm, its salty...but also sweet too." She takes another bite and adds "This really is good."

"Told ya" he says as the two of them continue enjoying the snack.

"Say, Roxas" comes Xion as she finish's off her bar. "Don't you usually come here after missions to hang out with Axel?"

"Yeah...well, sort of as we've only really done it twice so far. If you want to, you can come hang out here as well" he says.

"You mean it?" she asked.

Xion smiles, saying "Thank you. That makes me glad to you're OK with it. I just hope Axel will be fine with it though."

"I wouldn't worry about that" says Roxas encouragingly. "I'm sure he'll be cool with it and besides which...this is MY level in the tower after all so I can invite anyone I want."

"Yeah" says Xion, then both of them laugh a little. Little did they know that they weren't alone as Axel was indeed there, just off along the side, just out of sight, listening to the two of them talk.

_'Well what do you know. Roxas actually did get Xion to open up...'_ thinks Axel, smiling a little. He could step out and join in the fun. Maybe even get a laugh at seeing Xion get all shy and try to act all detached again. But why spoil their fun today?

Maybe what Roxas needed, to help him get over what had happened back in Twilight Town that led to his leaving, was Xion and a friendship between the two of them. He walks off and exits the floor, returning back to the castle to get some rest for the day.

**To be continued...**


	10. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

As Roxas walked down the hallway, he reflected back on the events that had happened over the last three weeks since his coming here to Never More, his missions with Xigbar, Larxene, and Xion, as well as the various mission he had done alone and the one he had done last week with Axel.

It was still hard to believe he was here, in this place. The worlds he had seen and experiences he had gone through still felt like something out of a fairy tail to him and there were still days when he would wake up thinking he was still back in Twilight Town and confused as to why his room looked so different. But these instances were becoming less and less with each passing day.

Entering the large gathering lounge, he sees Xion off to the side looking out the large windows up at the sky beyond. "Morning Xion" he says as he approaches her.

Xion jumps in surprise as she hadn't expected anyone to be here so early as they still had an hour to go till they needed to be here. Looking back, she smiles at Roxas as she pulls her hood down. "Good morning. You're up awfully early today."

"I'm not to only one it seems" notes Roxas, coming to a stop beside her. "So, see anything interesting out there?"

"Yeah, look up in the sky" she says as she looks back at the window and points upwards to the small glowing heart shaped moon in the sky. "What is that?" she asked. "I've never seen it up there before."

"Yeah, I haven't either" admits Roxas, though he had never really gazed up at the sky here before apart from when he had first arrived as there wasn't anything really interesting to see. "Just what is that?"

"It's our path to Kingdom Hearts" comes a voice from behind them, making them both spin around in surprise.

"Saix..." says Roxas while Xion nearly pulls her hood back up but stops as she had been working on being more communicative and open with the others.

"What do you mean by our path to Kingdom Hearts?" asked Xion.

"It's exactly as it sounds" says Saix, stopping before them. "All the Heartless you two have defeated and the hearts their defeat have released have been gathered by us here to create that which you see above us. And with even more hearts gathered in the future, it will grow bigger still. And once its color has shifted into a light, pulsing blue, it will be a sign that it is strong enough to create a path that will lead us to Kingdom Hearts, the restoration of the worlds, and the return of our castaway hearts."

"And that's when our jobs will be at an end then?" asked Roxas.

Saix nods, saying "I believe so. Now, seeing as you're both here, I give you your assignment for today."

"Assignment? You mean me and Roxas are going on another mission together?" asked Xion hopefully as she had found being around Roxas was the most fun she had in her life.

"Yes, at lord Xemnas's request" says Saix before handing Roxas a piece of paper he and Xion then look over. "The world you two will be heading to is another unknown world to us. I'm sure you both know the drill by now?"

Roxas roles the paper up and says "Yeah, do recon, search out Heartless, and see if we can locate the Keyhole."

"And stay out of sight of the locals" adds Xion.

"Correct" says Saix before opening the portal they would be using. "Be careful, both of you. In addition to this being an unknown world to us here, we've also detected unusual energies coming from this world, hence why you both are being sent. Be on your guard while there."

"Right" they both say, nodding as they pull their hoods up and enter the portal.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tag along with them. Keep watch from the shadows?" asked Axel as he entered the room.

Saix looks back at him, saying "They aren't infants. We can't always be there to hold their hands. Besides, I have something else I need you to do..."

After passing through the Twilight Corridor, Roxas and Xion emerge next to a dirt road that had trees lining it along both sides. Looking around and seeing no sign of anyone, they pull their hoods down and look around. "So, which way should we go, Roxas?"

Roxas pulls out the com-pad and does a scan of the area. "I'm not detecting any Heartless signs in the area." He then looks down both roads, seeing nothing but more road and trees. "Wanna flip for it?"

"Wait..." says Xion, walking to their right towards a sign that was partially obscured by a tree branch. She summons her Keyblade out and reach's up with it to push the branch out of the way. "It says Sleepy Hollow, one mile down the road."

"Must be the name of a village" says Roxas before walking past the sign. "Might as well check it out."

"But shouldn't we stay hidden?" asked Xion, running up to join him.

"Yeah, we should" says Roxas though he doesn't break his stride. "But we can also learn more by talking to the locals than we would from just looking around ourselves. And if they ask, we tell them we're just passing through."

"And we don't say anything about this in our official reports either" adds Xion, smiling a little. "And everyone wonders why I prefer to do missions with you over them."

They both laugh as they continue on down the road.

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.10: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow**

After a ways worth of walking, they found themselves walking up a moderately steep hill and at its top, they were given a good view of a small town down below them with homes of various sizes scattered about over a good distance. Luckily, the road down into the town wasn't quite as steep as the road that led up to where they were currently standing and they make their way down. "I think there may be a storm coming later tonight" says Xion suddenly, looking to the sky.

"How can you tell that?" asked Roxas.

Xion shrugs, saying "Not sure. I just can feel it in the air if that makes any sense."

After passing by wooden fence and an arch way of sorts with the name Sleepy Hollow engraved upon it, they see the first building on their walk. It was large in size, like two buildings that had been melded together; one large and one half the size of the first though it stretched out longer along the sides.

Before they can pass it by, a tall, thin, and rather lanky looking man emerges from the smaller of the two buildings; dressed in what appeared to be some greater finery who took a moment to check himself to make sure he was tidy before walking away from his home.

He was a little on the pale side with his hair curly along the side and combed back with a pony tail that hung down to the small of his neck. He had a long chin and an even longer nose with small, thick spectacles resting upon it.

"Should we ask him?" asked Xion as she and Roxas reached the building while the man was busy pulling a horse from a stable next to the building.

"Might as well" says Roxas as they turn off the road and head towards the man as he checks to make sure the saddle was on the horse properly. "Sir, excuse me?"

The man jumps, showing he was either completely lost in what he was doing or the nervous type. He quickly recovers as he turns back, saying "Yes, can I help you?" His voice sounded rather weak and mousey. Basically, he had a geek voice.

"Oh, new faces for my tutelage, I see. Well, sorry children, but schools already over for today I'm afraid" says the man.

"School?" says Roxas, looking at the large building. "So, this place is a school then?"

"Yes, that's right" says the man. "The larger building of this towns sole home for education and the smaller is my personal abode. And I and the new school teacher who just started last month; Ichabod Crane."

"I'm Roxas."

"And Xion, Mr. Crane."

"Well, nice to meet you both but like I said before. Today's studies are already over so you'll have to wait till tomorrow for all the formal introductions to be held" says Crane. He then gets a puzzled look as he says to himself. "Funny though. I don't recall hearing of any new families moving into town after I came to live here."

"Um...we aren't newly moved here" says Roxas, needing a moment to think of an explanation.

"We're just here because...um...we heard there was a festival going one but I'm afraid we may have gotten turned around" says Xion quickly, going on an impulse she was having.

"A festival, huh? Oh, then you must be here to join in the Harvest Festival then" says Crane, clapping his hands together. "Now I understand. Well then, follow me and I'll escort you to where the festivities are being held."

"Thanks for the offer, but we wouldn't want to put you out or anything" says Roxas.

"You wouldn't be, lad, as I happen to be heading there myself right now." Crane then hops onto his horse in gets it to start forward with a trot. "Come along now, don't be shy" he says, looking back at them.

"Sorry" whispers Xion, looking at Roxas as they start to follow Crane. "I panicked a little."

"Don't worry about. This may be a good thing" returns Roxas.

After a few minutes, Roxas decided to bring it up. "Um...excuse me, Mr. Crane?"

"Yes?" asked Crane, looking back at Roxas.

"I was wondering...have you heard of any strange things happening in the area lately? I mean, has anyone seen small, black creatures with yellow eyes scurrying about by any chance?" asked Roxas.

"Hm..." says, scratching his chin. "I'm afraid I haven't heard about anything like that. And I have heard an interesting tale or two being spun since coming here too. But perhaps someone else may have heard something I haven't. Once we get to the party, you'll have plenty of people to ask as everyone in Sleepy Hollow will be there...including her."

Crane then gets stars in his eyes as his cheeks light up and he starts acting all funny.

"Who's she?" asked Xion.

"Ah, her; the lovely Katrina Van Tassel, the most beautiful girl in all of Sleepy Hollow if not the world" says Crane with giddy glee. "Her father happens to be the wealthiest man in the county and who ever marries his daughter and sole heir will be a very wealthy man. Ah, I plan on telling miss Katrina how I feel for her and propese marriage to her on this very day."

_'Sounds to me like your more interested in the rewards that come from being with her than actually wanting to be with her' _thinks Roxas who then feels a tug on his sleeve from Xion.

"Roxas, what does it mean to propose marriage to someone?" asked Xion.

Roxas gives her a surprised look, asking "Wait, you really don't know about stuff like this?"

Xion shakes her head, saying "When all you can recall of your life is living inside a dark, dank alley way; rummaging through trash cans to find food, you don't really learn all that much beyond the basics needed for survival."

"Xion..." says Roxas, seeing her become a little sad and depressed. He reach's out with one arms and gives her a half hug, saying "I'll try to explain but I'm not really much of an expert either..."

After about forty minutes of walking, they arrive at a large building where there were already many people gathered around outside; adults who were busy conversing with one another and children who were playing happily with each other.

"Well, well, I wasn't expecting to actually see you show up today" comes a voice, drawing the three of them's attentions to see a man with a good muscular build walking towards them. "I figured you would have stayed home and curled up with a good book for the night."

Crane brings his horse to a stop as he hops down to face the taller, muscular man who now towered over him. "On the contrary, Brom Bones. I was given an invite by master Van Tassel himself as as I am still new here in Sleepy Hollow, failing to attend at least one of the invites from a man of his reputation would be quite disrespectful."

"I guess it would be at that" says Brom Bones.

"Is my being here gonna be an issue...with you?" asked Crane.

Brom Bones laughs a good hard laugh which gets several nearby people to look in their direction, wondering if they had missed a funny joke being said. "Not at all, mister school teacher, not at all." Brom Bones then plants several hard pats upon Cranes shoulders. "Well then, I must be getting back to my own duties. Have fun and..." He stops when he notices Crane wasn't alone.

Looking past Ichabod, he sees Roxas and Xion then looks back at Crane and ask "Who are the brats with you? Relatives or something?"

Crane shakes his head, then says "No, just a couple of passerby's who hoped to join in the festivities and see if anyone can help them with a search they're on."

"I hope our being here isn't an intrusion, sir" says Roxas, stepping forward.

"I don't see why it would be, kid. I'm sure old man Van Tassel will be fine with it as well as he does encourage travelers to attend these little get togethers. Good for trade realtions between villages. Now, what about this search you and the peach are on?"

"Peach?" asked Roxas.

"I think he's referring to miss Xion" says Crane. "Brom Bones here always refers to girls by using nicknames like peach or some other similar term."

"Oh, I see" says Roxas before looking at Brom Bones and says "We're looking into any weird creature sightings in the area. Would you have, by any chance, seen any weird and unusual looking beast in the area as of late?"

"Weird and unusual, huh?" says Brom Bones, giving it some thought.

"Here..." says Xion as she reach's into her coat pocket and pulls a scrap of paper out and hands it to him. "These are some rough sketch's I've made of them...well, the ones we know about anyways."

Crane moves to stand beside Brom Bones so he can see them too as does Roxas as he was curious as to Xion's design on the Heartless. Her drawings, from what he could see, were rather cartoony and shoddily done, though the Shadow's looked close enough do to their simple appearance.

"So, have you see anything like these things running around or heard anything that may match up to them at least?" asked Roxas.

"Nope, sorry kiddies" says Brom Bones as he hands the paper back to Xion. "We only have one local legend around these parts and it has no resemblence to these things."

"We do, really?" asked Crane. "I haven't heard anything about this legend in my short time here."

"Well then, make sure all three of you stick around till after the sun sets and I'll tell you all about it then. It's tradtional that someone tells the legend on this night each year anyways. Now Crane, go hitch your horse up over at the barn then bring yourself and the kiddies on in." And with that, Brom Bones turns around and heads back towards the Van Tassel home.

"Roxas, do you think this legend could be connected to the Heartless?" asked Xion.

Roxas shrugs, then says "Who knows, though we may as well stick around a few more hours and hear it while asking around and seeing if anyone else..."

"Hey, kid" comes Brom Bones, making Roxas and Xion look at him.

"Yes?" asked Roxas.

"You got yourself a cute little girlfriend there. If I were you, I'd keep her close or my little brother may try to woo her hand away from you." Brom Bones laughs at seeing Roxas cheeks go red as he continues on his way.

"Roxas, what did he mean by that?" asked Xion curiously.

"Huh?" asked Roxas, surprised to see her so mute and unaffected by Brom Bones words. He then recalls that given her past and spotty memories, not unlike his own memory problems, would likely mean she really didn't understand stuff like romance and boyfriend and girlfriend terms. "Oh, don't worry about that now. We can...talk about that later."

He hoped maybe he could get Larxene to give her that talk seeing as Larxene sort of maybe liked him just a bit now after there mission together before. Another thought crossed his mind. Both he and Xion had memory issues. Was that normal for Keybearer's? He'd have to ask the others about that later.

"Hey you two, coming along?" calls out Ichabod who, during their little exchange, had proceeded to drop his horse off and was now heading off to join the party.

"Yeah, we're coming" says Roxas as he runs over to Crane with Xion a few steps behind him. As the three of them walk towards the back yard, where the party was being held, Roxas ask "So, just who was that guy ayways?"

Crane sighs, saying "His name Abraham Van Brunt though everyone calls him Brom Bones for short, though I have yet to learn why. He's a local rowdy around Sleepy Hollow and quite a famous one at that. A heavy drinker, champion horse rider, and...he and I are rivaled for the hand of dear Katrina."

"But you two are friends aren't you?" asked Xion.

"Hardly" laughs Crane. "That exchange we had before was one of our "nicer" exchanges since I first came here. I feel he's to big a brute and he sees me as a joke of a man and we both feel the other is unworthy of the lovely Katrina's fair hand...aw, and there she is now."

Crane comes to a stop and points her out amongst the gathered people so Roxas and Xion would know which one she was. Indeed, she was a beauty and it was easy to see why she would be so desired. Yet, in Roxas mind, he felt Olette and Xion would still give her a run for her money which makes him blush immediately after due to have actually thought that.

"Well, I'm off to introduce myself to master Van Tassel as befitting the requirements of a proper gentleman. I would suggest you two do the same before asking around for your funny creatures search" says Crane before excusing himself and walking off towards a large, bulky man with a thick set beard.

Over the next two hours, Roxas and Xion had met with Van Tassel, they had started asking around and even took the opportunity to enjoy some food and drink, non achoholic of course for them, while asking various people about the Heartless. Like with Ichabod and Brom Bones, no one knew anything about them. And, as Brom Bones had warned, his younger brother did get rather flirty with Xion for a second but stopped when another girl had caught his eye, showing he wasn't a one woman kind of guy.

By now, the sun had set and darkness had already sat in. "Roxas..." comes Xion as he takes a bite of the fruit he had just gotten from a large cerving bowl. "Shouldn't we be heading back soon? I'm sure they'll be worrying about us if we don't at least report in."

"Maybe..." he says. "But I want to hear about this local legend first" was Roxas reply.

"Attention, attention..." comes Van Tassel in his deep, booming voice, getting everyone's attention. "Now that night has fallen, it's time for us to indulge in another annual event here in Sleepy Hollow. And this year, I am letting master Abraham have the honors in the telling."

Brom Bones comes walking up, saying "Thank you, master Van Tassel." He then looks out over the crowd of people as they gather around. He sees Crane also taking a seat and allows himself a slight smile. This story would make him wet his pants, he was betting. "The lights if you would" he says to a few servants who, understand his request, exstinguish most of the lit torch's saving only a couple; one of which is brought up to rest before him to cast his body and face in flickering shadows.

"Years before, during the great war of revolution, he rode; the Hessian trooper and his steed who's coat was blacker than the moonless midnight. Battled he did, taking many lives and earning many victories for his name to bare. He was the nightmare on horse back and all who saw he shrank back in fear."

"It was said he made a deal with the devil himself for his great success and for those who make such a deal, payment will always be due. And so it was that during his greates battle, he was felled as a cannon ball stuck him, taking his head into oblivion; leaving only his body behind."

"But so dark was he, so filled with evil and sin, that his body refused to die. Instead, the Hessian horseman arose, seeking that which he had lost in the battle; his absent head. So beware when you ride home in the dark of the night for the Headless Horseman may come for you, to take your own head and make it his own."

As Brom Bones finish's, a loud rumbling of thunder erupts from the sky, making many people jump and several small children even start crying from being scared. Van Tassel comes walking up, clapping his hands "Thank you Abraham, that was a spendid telling. Couldn't have done better myself."

A sudden feel of water hitting his cheek makes Van Tassel look up. "Now my friends, let us retreat inside for now as we may have some rain coming." And with that, Van Tassel heads off into his home with Brom following with others following after them. The servants begin gather the food and drink and bring it in as well so it won't be ruined by the rains.

"Roxas, do you think that...Headless Horseman guy could be a Heartless?" asked Xion.

"Maybe? Assuming he actually exist" says Roxas as more thunder rumbles overhead. "It could also be a legend though. Back home in Twilight Town, we had several legends there as well that ended up being nothing but hot air with no actual truth behind them."

More thunder rumbles. "So, what should we do?" asked Xion.

"We could go inside and wait out the storm or we could head back to the arrival point and head back. What do you think?" asked Roxas.

Xion didn't mind sticking around a bit more as she actually like this place. It was nice, quiet, and peaceful she thought. The people were friendly and the food and drink were both good. Much better than what they had back in Never Was save for the Sea Salt Icecream which they didn't seem to have here. Also, she was curious about this drink she saw some men talking about called meed. From what they had said, it sounded quite good.

She looks up at the sky then to Roxas and says "It'll take us forty or fifty minutes to get back and if my guess is correct, the rains won't start falling till after that. I'd like to stay longer but we should be getting back so as not to worry the others and force them to come look for us."

Roxas was amazed that Xion could tell what the weather would be like yet still be so clueless about the more natural things people would know like romance. She was definately an interesting girl. "Well, if you're sure. Then lets go..." And with that, they head back around to the front and leave the Van Tassel residence, following the road back to Crane's place and the way to the portal.

**(twenty minutes later)**

Ichabod's horse trotted along at its own pace as his owner seemed to lost in thought to be directing it himself. As for Crane, he was currently crestfallen and heartbroken at what had happened not fifteen minutes before. After a few drinks to help bolster his courage, he had finally approached Katrina and confessed his feelings for her and had even gone so far as to propose marriage as well.

And she had flat out rejected him without even giving it a moments thought.

He was glad that there wouldn't be no need of him to teach any class's for the next few days as he doubted he would have the energy or the will to teach them. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to just get home and get under the covers of his bed and forget this day had even happened.

A sudden flash of lightning brings him from his melancholy as a bolt shoots from the sky and hits a tree not thirty feet ahead of them. Crane's horse rears up in surprise, nearly knocking Ichabod off and he needs several moments to calm his steed down.

"Whoa boy, easy there" says Crane, patting and rubbing the horse neck to help soothe it. He then has it trot forward a little till he was directly beside the tree, examining it. From the looks of it, this tree had suffered many strikes from above in the past. "So, lightning does strike twice...or in this case, many many times it would seem."

A sudden sound makes him jump and cause his hair to stand on end; squeaking out in a mousy voice his eyes dart around in a panic. He then spots the source of the noise, an owl who had hooted out as it took flight. He breaths a sigh of relief while placing a hand on his chest. "Just an owl, calm down Ichabod. Those stories Brom Bones and the others told me are just that, just STORIES."

He then laughs his fears away, feeling a little better for a moment. And then he hears a new sound, a sound of horse hooves hitting the ground. But it wasn't his horse as they were still stationary. Turning to look back to see who else was coming up, he feels his blood freeze as the terror he had felt moments before comes racing back like lightning.

"A Head...Headless...Horseman" he manages to get out in an intense stutter.

A cold, disimbodied laugh comes from the headless rider as his steed rears up, neighing loudly. And Ichabod, terrified beyond all comprehension, does the only thing he can think of, he soils himself then whips his horse like mad, getting it to break into as fast a run as it could.

And the Headless Horseman was hot on his heels.

**(Roxas and Xion)**

"Hey Roxas, what's that?" asked Xion as they finished crossing an old wodden bridge. She had come to a stop and was now looking at the building just off to the side next to the bridge.

"Hm?" says Roxas, looking to where she was looking. He then examines the building and sees tombstones in a small fenced off field next to the building. "I'm guess it must be a church and that next to it is a cemetary."

"Oh, OK" she says, then looks at him and ask "Um...what's a church and cemetary anyways?"

"Well..." says Roxas when a cry of fear catch's their ears. They then hear a second sound, one of high pitched laughter. "Is that mister Crane?" he says as he and Xion look back. Seconds later, they see Crane and his horse come into view and right behind him was...

"Roxas, is that the Headless Horseman?" cries Xion.

"Yeah..." says Roxas, his Keyblade appearing in his hand. "And he's after mister Crane."

"What do we do then?" asked Xion, her own Keyblade appearing as well.

"We..."

"There it is...the bridge" says Ichabod aloud, recalling what he had been told before. If he could cross the bridge that sat resting next to the church, then he would be safe as the Horseman could not cross that bridge less it would be dragged down to hell to face its eternal punishment.

He looks back and sees the Horseman gaining on him. A few more seconds and he would be at the monsters mercy. But that wouldn't be an issue as he hears the sound of hooves clacking against wood, signaling that they were no crossing the bridge. And as he had heard, the Horseman brings his steed to a stop before it could make contact with the bridge as well. He was safe.

Once he had reached the far side, Ichabod stops his horse and looks back the headless rider and sticks his tongue out. "Hah, looks like I'm safe. What's wrong, mister Horseman? Does a bridge really scare you that much?" Obviously, Ichabod was feeling rather bold right now.

Unfortunately for him, his boldness quickly melts away when he sees the horseman reach back behind itself and pull out a large pumpkin with a face on it, an eerie light coming from within. The Horseman laughs one final time before chucking the pumpkin at Ichabod with all of its might.

And Ichabod was to taken aback by this to make a move to save himself.

"Oh no you don't" comes Xion as she appears from behind the stone wall that surrounded the church and cemetary, using her Keyblade to take out the pumpkin before it could hit its target.

"Miss Xion?" says Ichabod, surprise to see her.

The Horseman also appeared surprised as it pulls on the reins to make the horse turn so as to escape. But before it could even begin to move away, Roxas appears from a tree above, shouting "Oh no you don't..." and then swings his Keyblade round hard, making contact with the Horseman and knocking him off its own ride.

The Horseman groans as Roxas stands over it, aiming his Keyblade at the rider. "It's over." Roxas then notices something as Xion and Ichabod cross the bridge to join him. "Who ever you are, enough with the game and show your face already."

"Ow kid, anyone tell you that...key of yours hurts something fierce?" comes a familiar sounding voice as the hands grab onto the clothes and pulls down to make his hidden head pop out.

"Hey, aren't you mister Brom Bones?" asked Xion.

"So you remember me, peach? I'm honored" says Brom Bones before standing up.

"What...what's going on? Why did you...?" asked Ichabod.

"Huh?" asked Brom Bones before giving off a hearty laugh. "Oh, this? I just wanted to give you a little scare is all, nothing serious."

"Nothing serious? You nearly scared both me and my horse to death. And you threw a pumpkin at me too" says Ichabod.

"Yeah, well...I had to get back to you for asking my Katrina to marry you" argues Brom Bones.

"Is that really a valid reason?" asked Roxas.

"It is for me" says Brom Bones.

"Well you don't have to worry about that seeing as she turned me down...rather quickly I might add" says Ichabod in a grumpy tone.

"She did? Oh, that's good to know then" says Brom Bones before holding his hand out and ask "So, no hard feelings then?"

"Are you serious?" asked Ichabod. But he then smiles a little and says "Oh fine, what ever. You owe me one though."

"Sure, I'll buy you a drink or two" says Brom Bones before throwing an arm around Ichabod's shoulders and leads him off to the bridge.

"Roxas, what just happened here?" asked Xion.

"I don't know but it was pretty stupid" says Roxas in a deadpan tone. "Anyways, we should..."

Before Roxas could finish talking, a strong, thick mist suddenly comes rolling in, enveloping them both within it. "Roxas?" asked Xion, unable to see him as she grabs blindly in the mist.

Roxas hand finds hers and takes her hands into his own while saying "I'm here."

"What's going on?" she asked, looking around and trying to see anything within the fog.

"I don't know, but..." His words cut off as they hear the sound of hooves stomping on the grass. They then see a figure appear; a Headless Horseman. "Mister Brom Bones, why are you..."

An unearthly glows rises up around the rider while the eyes of his steed glow brightly. It extends its right hand out, making a head of smoke and flame appear upon it. "Roxas, that's the real one."

"Crap" says Roxas as his Keyblade appears again as Xion summons hers again as well.

The Horseman observes them as they prepare for it to attack. But the attack doesn't come.

**Are those...Keyblade's? Are you two Keybearer's?**

Roxas and Xion blink in surprise from the voice that had spoken directly to them in their minds. "You know about them...and us?" asked Xion.

**I know enough to know. Now, what are your kind doing here?**

_'What does that mean?' _wondered Roxas before saying "We came to this world to see if there were any Heartless running around and, if so, locate the Keyhole so we can seal it up, allowing this world to be protected again from the darkness."

**Is that so? Well, there have been Heartless appearing here every now and then, but I can sense their coming before they arrive and head to the spot they'll appear at, disposing of them before the can become a threat.**

"That explains why no one hasn't seen anything" says Xion, looking at Roxas. She then looks at the Horseman and ask "Do you know where the Keyhole is by any chance?"

The Horseman stays motionless for a moment before making a sweeping motion with his hand, making the two Keybearer's feel a sudden change come over the air, like things had split in two for a moment then pulled back together, themselves included. The Horseman then turns his horse around as while pointing with his free hand towards a spot where the mist had started to lighten to reveal a small lake.

**There, upon the waters.**

"Upon the...waters?" wonders Roxas aloud as he and Xion pass the Horseman by and look upon the lake. Somehow, despite the fog, there was a shadow of the moon cast upon its surface. But something was off with the reflection. It wasn't a circular shape but...it was shaped like a Keyhole.

Roxas feels his Keyblade shake suddenly, feeling the signs he had felt before back in Twilight Town next to its Keyhole. "Xion, this is it. Let's seal her up" says Roxas as he raises his Keyblade into the air. Xion mimics his actions and aims up as well; beams of light shooting from the ends of the blades and arch through the sky and come down to hit the Keyhole, creating a clicking sound as a result.

"We did it" says Xion happily, looking at Roxas who looks at her as well, also happy.

And then a geyser of water explodes from the spot on the lake the Keyhole had been at, bringing them both back to being alert, fearing that it was a Heartless. "An enemy?" says Roxas as he and Xion prepare for any attack that may come from the geyser.

**Relax, it is no enemy. This is the world's way of saying thank you.**

True to the Horseman's word, the geyser of water finally falls back into the lake, leaving a small ball of light floating in mid air which then approach's them; splitting in two. As it gets close enough, Roxas believes he sees something within the light; a keychain. The light then splits into two halves, passing into Roxas and Xion's chest where their hearts would be.

"Hey, what was that about?" asked Xion, looking at Roxas, then at the Horseman.

"That's what I'm wondering too" says Roxas who also looks at the Horseman for an explanation.

**Look at your Keyblade.**

"Huh?" says Roxas as he looks at his Keyblade and notices it; the silver keychain on it was now glowing. Curious as to what was going on, he uses his free hand to touch it and at the moment of contact, it changes from three circles that resembled a face with roud ears to looking like a pumpkin.

And then the whole Keyblade changes shape; turning black in color and very thin when compared to the Kingdom Key. It was also longer as well. "Is this...a new Keyblade?" wonders Roxas as he looks at the hand guard to see if there was a name enscribed there. "Pumpkinhead."

**Obviously, you do not know. Each world has its own particular Keyblade which a chosen weilder can summon and use. This world has granted you the honor of being able to call its particular Keyblade to your side when you need it. Each Keyblade has its own special power and uses. Learning what these are and mastering them will make you an even greater Keybearer.**

Roxas studies Pumpkinhead and realizes that it was different. It was thinner and longer in length than the Kingdom Key, allowing him a little more distance when attacking Heartless. But as for the special power bit? He didn't have a clue as this was the first time he had ever heard of this detail.

"What kind of special power?" he asked the Horseman.

**I would not know. Finding the answer is entirely up to you. Think of this as a test if you will...**

Roxas nods and looks it over again, then shifts it between Kingdom and Pumpkinhead several times to see if it would work. Off to the side, Xion also tries to make her Keyblade change but finds nothing happening.

**It won't work for you...not until your heart has fully awakened...**

"Huh?" she says, looking at him. The fact Roxas hadn't said anything about his words made her believe that those words had been just for her to hear. But still, what did that mean? Before she could ask...

"Say, how do you know so much? Are you...a Keybearer too?" asked Roxas.

The Horseman doesn't answer. Instead, he waves his hand out again and the two Keybearer's find themselves back at where they had been before but with no sign of their headless rider. They look around and see no sign of him.

**No, though I did know one...a lifetime ago...**

They had heard that and nothing more. Soon, they decided that they wouldn't hear anything more and continue on their way back to the portal. Everyone back in Never Was weren't going to belive this one.

**To be continued...**

**Secret Report 8:**

Zexion sat alone in his room, finishing up a little program he had written. Upon it was the latest data that would be sent. Now finished, he encodes it onto a disk and takes it from the computer. He would now pass this on to Axel who would take it to the drop point. He gets up and leaves his room.

And on the computer screen, three words appear for just a second. **DiZ**..

**AN:** OK, everyone. Time for another round of Q&A's from you to me and back to you again.

**Kira Ria 18 **and **XxKenseyXx13** both wondered what was going on in chapter 5 with Saix, Vexen, Demyx, and Marluxia? Well, the answer should be somewhat obvious. They were sent to get the towns people to turn on Roxas, even if only for a few hours, in order to make getting him to join them and leave Twilight Town even easier. After all, kidnapping or forced assistance wouldn't help them in this matter.

**roxasduelwielder** asked when Roxas, Axel, and Xion will be hanging out? Well, they'll have their first official hang out together at the end of the next chapter. After that, even if I don't bring it up at the end of each chapter, expected that they hang out often; more so than not.

And don't worry **Kira Ria 18**, Xion won't be a replica...well, not in the same manner as she was in Days. You'll understand what I'm planning with her in chpt.20 and I hope you all both think and feel that it makes much better sense for her than what was done in Days.

To **. **, well we know they all wear pants beneath the coats. As for the shirts? I assume so though some may wear long sleeved, short sleeved, no sleeves and maybe even a couple might go around bare chested (like Lexaeus or Xaldin as they look like they have a descent physical build to them). I would say Roxas, beneath his coat, is still wearing his usual, Twilight Town attire minus the while black coat. And as for Xion, a tank top with string shoulder straps.

And sure** roxasduelwielder, **you can kicks Xemnas as much as you want, assuming you can get around his barriers and actually get a hit in on him.

**Kira Ria 18**, you asked a good question. "Roxas will no longer be needed and the fragment he held would be his (Xemnas's) once again." What does that mean? Well, that answer won't come for a good while. But I'll say this much. Is there anything in Roxas possession that looks familiar to something? Like maybe a piece taken from something else?

And **. **asked is Larxene going to die? Well, can Nobodies actually die or do they return to being a whole person when defeated? Time will tell though I did want to make the Roxas/Larxene interactions become something like a sibling thing to some extent.

Now I'm going to get serious here. As I said a chapter or two ago, my releases are going to be slowing up big time. This is still true even now seeing as I no longer have the internet at my place (I had to walk a ways to get to the nearest internet hotspot so I could use the free wifi so I could upload this chapter). Because of this and the fact I'll be moving in with my brother within the next week, I can't be sure when my next chapter will be coming. If time permits, both in writing and walking to the hot spot, I'll upload as many as I can before the move. After the move though, I won't be able to upload anything until I get moved back into my own place again which won't happen until at least mid-October. My brother, though he does have internet himself, likely won't be able to let me go online unless its to check my e-mails using his computer (as he doesn't have a wifi router last I checked).

So, just in case this is my last chapter released for the next few months, I'll leave you with a gift of sort. A sneak peak at what to expect with the next ten chapters of this story.

**Chpt.11: Fragile: **Roxas suddenly faints and falls into a coma, his body suffering moments of fading. Can anyone figure out how to save Roxas before he fades away for good?

**Chpt.12: The Unknown Coatwearer** (working title) While on a mission, Xion encounters another coatwearer, but this one seems to be an enemy. Will she survive the encounter? Olette also has a scene in this chapter, setting the stage for a scene in chpt.21.

**Chpt.13: Someday You'll Find It...** Roxas meets an unexpected face who will give him a new power, one that will come to serve him well in times of great need...where a heart of valor is required

**Chpt.14: The Musicians Lament** (Roxas and Demyx focused chapter)

**Chpt.15: Wreck it, Roxas** I think the title says it all, especially about the world Roxas and Xion go to.

**Chpt.16: Connections** Roxas spends time with the various members of the Orgaization. Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy finally appear in the story as of this chapter.

**Chpt.17: Tangled chapter** (title undecided yet) takes place before the Tangled movie. There will be a scene in this one involving Roxas and Xion that mimics the scene in the movie about the lanterns and riding in the boat on the lake.

**Chpt.18: The Heartless World** Upon arriving in a new world, Roxas and Xion become trapped there and find the world having almost been consumed by the darkness. Now they must face an army of Heartless while the other Orgaization members try desperately to reach them before its to late.

**Chpt.19: Resonance of the Heart** The power given to Roxas before will finally awaken as he and Xion combine their powers in a way no one ever expected. And this power won't be the only thing that is awakened either as the stage is finally set for the fallout with the Orgaization...

**Chpt.20: ?** (title will NOT be revealed till one week after the chapter has been released as the title reveals a big secret about Xion) Roxas learns about the lies handed to him and what really happened those last few days back in Twilight Town. And when he goes to meet Xion, she'll have a few surprises of her own for him. And a heart breaking battle follows that will change everything forever...

Beyond these ten chapters (11 to 20)? Only time can tell since I'm keeping mum for now...

Till the next chapter my friends...


	11. A Precious and Fragile Thing

**AN: **This chapter contains an insert song to go with the mood I wish to set (the first of many possible insert songs). The song in this particular chapter is **Precious**, performed by **Depeche Mode**, from their album **Playing the Angel**. If you are unfamiliar with it, look it up on YouTube in order to get the proper feel for the song and the emotion its meant to elicit from you. Now, lets begins...

Roxas faces down a group of ten Proud Wilds and Soldiers class Heartless, easily counter and blocking their attacks, then striking out at them; dispatching them with ease. Once they fell, he could see one last Heartless remaining which resembled a bat with a hook for legs trying to fly up out of his attack range.

"Oh no you don't" he yells as he runs at a wall, leaps at it, then rebounds off while shifting the Kingdom Key into Pumpkinhead for the added length. "...Get back here" he yells as he swings ride, making contact with the Heartless and sending it slamming back into the ground where it burst into nonexistence as well.

As he lands back on the ground, he hears hands clapping and looks over to see Axel walking towards him. "Alright Roxas, you're getting better at this. Heck, I wasn't even needed here today, huh?"

"I doubt you had any complaints though seeing as you got to pull a Demyx on me" says Roxas which gets Axel to huff.

"Well if that's the way you feel..." Axel then reach's out and ruffles Roxas hair. "I won't ever help you again. Got it memorized?"

Roxas laughs as he push's Axel's hand off him, saying "Sorry, sorry. So, what now?"

Axel pulls out his com device and scans the area with it. "I'm not getting any more Heartless readings right now and we haven't detected any signs of the Keyhole's location either...and it's getting late. Let's head back for now and save the world saving for another day."

"Alright" says Roxas as he lets the Keyblade disappear. Axel creates a portal for them as Roxas says "I wonder if Xion has already finished her mission yet?"

"We won't know by just standing here" says Axel as he walks towards the portal.

"Yeah, let's head ba..." Roxas stops mid sentence and mid step as his vision suddenly blurs and his head become dizzy and disoriented. Before his mind could even register what was happening with him, he begins to fall as the darkness takes his him.

"What were you saying Roxas?" asked Axel as he looks back and sees Roxas falling towards the ground with glazed over eyes. "ROXAS?" he yells as he runs over and catch's Roxas at the last second, letting his limp body rest against his arms.

Axel gives Roxas a little shake, trying to wake him up but he doesn't respond which sends Axel into a panicked state. He then stands while holding Roxas in his arms, saying "Don't worry. I get you some help back home." Axel then runs into the portal to get Roxas back to Never Was.

Realm Hearts

chpt.11: A Precious and Fragile Thing

Xemnas, Vexen, and Zexion stood around several machines, looking at readings coming from the devices that were scanning Roxas, who was currently laying unconscious on an examination table. Behind a glass viewing screen, the other members of the Organization stood there and watched patiently for some news.

"Man, I hate waiting" says Axel in a grumpy tone.

"Hating it won't make things go by faster, you know that right" asked Saix.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that" says Axel, though he still didn't like it.

"Axel..." comes Xion, getting Axel's attention. "Will Roxas be alright?" In both her tone and the look on her face, she was worried. Maybe even terrified though Axel didn't know she could feel that yet. Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say that she could but wouldn't understand what she was feeling.

His eyes drift away from her as he didn't know what to say. "Xion...I'm sure he'll be just fine once he gets some rest. He's been working pretty hard lately and I'm sure he's just tired."

"A comforting lie is still a lie regardless" comes Vexen as he and Zexion exit the examination room while Xemnas was still inside, though sitting at a computer consul, doing some checking in the database. "There's no need to pretend that things are going to be OK."

"Why you..." growls Axel, angered by Vexen's seemingly lack of concern for Roxas or at least trying to reassure Xion, who he saw as still being emotionally fragile.

Saix reach's out and places a hand on Axel's shoulder to silence him, then he ask "Have you found anything?"

Zexion shakes his head and says "We don't have a clue as to what's wrong with him. On the surface, it would like he's just suffering from physical exhaustion. But it's much worse than that..."

"In a nut shell, our heroic Keybearer has fallen into a coma of some kind and there's nothing we can do to wake him up right now." says Vexen.

"Nothing at all?" asked Marluxia.

Zexion's eyes lower, saying "From what our readings can tell, he appears to be losing energy; his life force is weakening and even with the medical technology we have here, we can't figure out why this is happening or how to stop it."

"So what are his chances then?" asked Luxord, knowing that Roxas was in a fight against time.

"Well..." says Zexion, hesitant to tell them.

"Less than two days" says Vexen. "If his condition continues to deteriorate as it is and doesn't either stop or go into reverse, he'll be gone by sunrise the day after tomorrow."

"What are you saying?" asked a confused Xion. "Roxas isn't going to be leaving us; leave the Organization is he?"

"Xion..." says Axel, not sure how to explain this to her.

"He's going to die and we'll never get to see or talk with him again" says Vexen, not feeling the need to sugar coat the truth just for her sake.

"Die? Never see or talk with him again?" repeats Xion, looking confused. "I don't understand."

"Xion, come walk with me a bit" says Larxene, much to everyone's surprise. Larxene walks to stand before Xion and says "I'll explain it to you, OK?" Larxene then rest a hand on Xion's shoulder and leads her out of the room.

"Better her than me" says Xaldin, referring to Larxene given this talk to Xion.

"No kidding" agreed Demyx.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Xigbar.

"There's nothing any of us can do. Lord Xemnas will continue to monitor Roxas while looking through An...I mean, the old database from back home to see if there may be any information inside we can us to help Roxas" says Zexion.

"Until then, we should return to doing our jobs" says Saix. "Roxas would want us to, not stand around worrying about him and who knows, maybe we'll find something that can help him."

"Here's an idea" says Axel, getting everyone's attention. "Why don't we all go to the world's Roxas has visited since coming here and look around, maybe get scans using our com-devices. Maybe we'll find out what's wrong with him by looking back at where he has been."

Vexen rubs his chin with his hand, saying "That's a possibility. Places like that Underworld or Sleepy Hollow may have exposed him to something that could effect him that wouldn't affect us seeing as we're Nobodies and as such, we can't catch any type of diseases."

"But wouldn't Xion have been affected as well, at least in the world's were she and Roxas were working together?" asked Demyx.

"Not if the world she's from granted her an immunity to a disease that Roxas didn't get while living in Twilight Town. If nothing else, it is a possibility worth investigating" says Zexion.

"Hand me your com-devices and I'll tweek them for the search" says Vexen while holding hid hands out to receive them. Who knows, maybe he did care about Roxas health and safety too but just had a weird way of showing that concern?

Several hours later, everyone but Xion and Xemnas had left to investigate the worlds Roxas had visited before. Xemnas had retreated to his private lab with samples taken from Roxas body for various test to try finding a solution to this dilemma. And Xion had just been asked to hold down the fort for today.

"Can I come in?" asked Xion as she stands at the door to Roxas room, knowing she wouldn't get a response. She had just said it because it was the polite thing to do. She steps in and moves to be at Roxas side, pulling a seat over to sit down in.

"He looks so peaceful" she says, her eyes glued onto his face.

It was hard to believe his existence was in danger. Even after Larxene had talked to her, she had to admit that she still didn't fully understand what death meant. But the thought that she would never get to talk with him, laugh with him, just be around him again, had caused an intense and uncomfortable feeling to arise within her. She had asked Larxene about it and had been told it was pain and hurt; sadness and fear. Many things Xion didn't understand.

"Roxas, can you hear me? If you can, say something..." she asked as she subconsciously reach's out and takes his hand into her own, giving it a squeeze. He doesn't respond and she leans in closer.

"Roxas, please..." she says again, the feeling inside she didn't like growing stronger and stronger. And then she feels something wet hit her hand that was holding his.

"Huh? What's this?" she asked, realizing her cheeks were wet and her eyes were becoming blurred and watery. Reaching up with her free hand, she wipes her eyes and finds water now on her finger. She then recalls something Larxene had told her, how she had said that it was OK to cry. She hadn't understood what that meant.

"Is this crying? Am I crying now?" she ask as more tears fall, then sniffles subconsciously. "No, I don't...I hate this. I hate this feeling, the pain and sadness inside. Roxas, please don't go away..."

_Precious and fragile things_

_need special handling_

_my god, what have we done to you_

_We always tried to share_

_the tenderest of care_

_now look at what we have put you through_

_things get damaged, things get broken_

_I thought we'd manage, but words left unspoken_

_left us so brittle_

_there was so little left to give_

_Angel's with silver wings_

_shouldn't know suffering_

_I wish I could take the pain from you_

_If God has a master plan_

_that only he understands_

_I hope its your eyes he's seeing through_

_things get damaged, things get broken_

_I thought we'd manage, but words left unspoken_

_left us so brittle_

_there was so little left to give_

_I bring you lots of trust_

_have faith in both of us_

_keep room in your heart for two_

_things get damaged, things get broken_

_I thought we'd manage, but words left unspoken_

_left us so brittle_

_there was so little left to give_

"Please Roxas..." cried Xion, her tears falling hard from her eyes. "Don't leave me..."

Xemnas starts to enter the room and stops, seeing Xion as she buries her face against Roxas chest, clinging to him with her all her might as her sorrow echoes throughout the room. His eyes only remain on her for a moment before he turns around and walks back to wards his private chambers.

A thin smile had formed as this, while the Roxas situation had been sudden, it was not unexpected. And the reactions it was causing within Xion made it all the more worth it, no matter how it ends.

**(the next morning)**

Xion found herself begin roused from her sleep by a gentle shaking against her shoulder. Opening her sore eyes, she found she she had fallen asleep with her head resting against Roxas, likely a result of crying so hard, she figured. Wiping her eyes, she looks to her side and sees Saix looking down at her.

"Has anyone found anything yet?" she asked him.

Saix shakes his head, then says "Unfortunately, no. But they're still looking though."

"I see..." says Xion, feeling a new wave of tear starting to build up.

"Sorry Xion, but you can't stay glued to his side forever, you know. I need you to head out yourself and undertake a mission today" says Saix.

"But, I want to..." argues Xion, but Saix cuts her off mid sentence.

"I know what it is you want, but is something we all need you to do. Including Roxas" says Saix, getting Xion to look at Roxas, then back at Saix. "Besides continuing to destroy Heartless, perhaps you might find something that can help him that we won't. We...HE needs you to do more than just sit around and wait, Xion."

Perhaps she could find the answer the others couldn't? That thought hadn't crossed her mind before. Could she be the one to save him? "OK, I'll go..." she says before looking back at Roxas with a determined look on her face. _'...for you, Roxas.'_

Less than an hour later, Xion found herself exiting the portal into a world she had never seen before. The first thing she noticed was there was sand; lots and lots of sand all around her. And it was bright and hot out here as well, very hot. For a moment, she was tempted to toss her coat off but then reconsidered as all she had on underneath were pants and a thin string shirt that covered her chest and with the sun bearing down so intensely in this world, she would get some very bad sun burn quickly if she did so, thus she chose to keep her coat on, though modesty may have also been a factor.

She raises a hand up to help deal with the glare as she looks around, seeing the wall of a city not to far from her right. A wall was likely the sign of civilization, though she wondered how anyone could live in a place like this. Still, it was a good place to start if there really was people living there.

Stepping away from the portal to let it vanish, she begins to walk towards the walled city. But not five steps in, a powerful blast of wind hits her from behind, knocking her off her feet and sending her falling into the sandy ground hard.

Pulling herself up quickly, needing a moment to cough and spit the sand that had gotten into her mouth out, she looks back and sees a giant sand twister off in the distance. And from it, she sensed something dark an ominous; a possible cause behind both the twister and the winds it was kicking up.

"Is there...a Heartless inside there?" she wonders aloud. Could a Heartless actually cause something like THAT? While her first instinct was to go investigate, that feeling is quickly squashed down by remembering Roxas plight. From what she could tell, the twister was stationary thus didn't show any signs of being a threat to the walled city or its inhabitants. And as long as that was the case, then worrying about it was secondary now. Getting back on her feet, she continues towards the city to find something that might help Roxas.

Once she had made it to the walls, it had only taken her a small amount of time of searching before she had located the massive double doors that would allow her access within, though the guards had viewed her suspiciously though, given her clothes. Once inside, she had begun to look around and ask question's of everyone she saw and the most she had gotten was directions to the markets.

But sadly, none there had anything that could help cure the ailment she had described. Crestfallen and depressed, Xion begins to wander around, wondering if she would ever find anything of use her that could help Roxas.

"I couldn't help but overhear your plight before, little one" comes a voice, bringing her out of her sorrow. Looking around, she finds the voice having come from a small peddler with long whiskered mustache and chin hair with a large light bulb shaped hat. And he had called her little when he was even smaller in size than her.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Perhaps we can help each other" he says before reaching into his tunic and pulling out an emerald green vial and showing it to her. "Perhaps this elixir here can help you in your needs."

"It can? Really?" she asked, getting a nod from the peddler. "Thank you, sir. I'll take..." she says as she reach's out to claim the vial, but the peddler quickly pulls his hand back while raising the other to wave a finger at her.

"Oh no, no, no, little one. That isn't the way we do business here. If you want this, then you'll have to pay for it first" says the peddler.

"Pay?" asked Xion, confused.

"That's right, pay. For something this powerful, I'll say 10,000 munny should do" says the peddler.

"But I don't have any munny" says Xion.

"What? You don't have any munny? Then why are you wasting my time, you street rat...er, street mouse. Go bother someone else with your needs. I have a business to run" says the peddler in a huff before turning around to walk off in a huff.

"Wait sir, please" comes Xion, reaching out and stopping him. "You have to give me that elixir My friends life is at stake."

"I don't give a flying fig about your friends life. If you can't pay for it, then you don't get it. Those are the rules of trade her in Agrabah" says the peddler.

"Please, sir, I need it. I'll do anything" pleads Xion.

"Anything, huh?" says the peddler, looking her over. In his eyes and mind, she didn't look like much; just some street mouse in a weird get-up. But maybe her need was great enough to make her want to take any risk? Well, it was worth a shot, he thought. "Oh, I have an idea..."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well, not far from here are some old ruins. I heard there is a rather valuable gem covered statue hidden there. If you can go get it for me, then I'll give you this elixir as a trade for the statue" says the peddler.

"Go get a gem covered statue and you'll give me the elixir? OK, I'll do it" says Xion.

"Just a word of warning though" says the peddler. "A fierce sand twister has been appearing upon those ruins often for quite some time so it will be dangerous..." There was also the rumors that those ruins were haunted as well, which is why he hadn't gone himself before to seek out the statue.

"A sand twister? Oh, I know where that is" says Xion, recalling what she had seen upon her arrival here in this world. Getting a determined look on her face, she says "Leave it to me, sir. I'll get that statue no problem. I'll be back soon." And with that, she turns and runs off towards the gate.

The trek across the desert, heading towards the ruins, had not been easy for Xion. The heat alone and the chaos it was causing with her vision; making things blurry, had been a pain. Not to mention the walk alone was very tiring. But at last, she had made it and the twister had seemingly died down for now.

"OK, now where is it?" she wondered, looking around. From the sand, she could see the remains of some buildings sticking out of the sand but no way into them. And then, off in the distance, she spotted a building that did have an way into it. "I'll start looking there..."

She runs forward, but immediately loses her footing as the ground starts to shake and sink downwards, causing her to fall into the pit. And from its center, I giant machine like creature begins to rise up. From its top half, she could make out metal pincers, eyes, and the Heartless crest. Then the rest of its triangular shaped body that ended with a drill appeared.

"The Heartless that's been causing these twisters..." she says, needing to cover her eyes due to all the sand that was being blasted outwards by the Antlion Heartless. "So, you're gonna stand in my way and keep me from helping Roxas..."

Her Keyblade appears in her hand as she charges at the Heartless, yelling out a battle cry. "I won't let you..." she yells as she leaps up into her first attack.

Her target was the Heartless head; the only part of it that didn't look to be made of metal, she figured. The sections that make up its body begin to spin, blasting out air and sand from little vent like openings upon the sections. Xion gets hit with several of the blast, being sent flying back down onto the ground.

She recovers quickly, back flipping as she prepares herself to go in for a second attack. The Antlion reorients its body, now blowing through the sand and heading towards in an attack pattern. Gripping her Keyblade tightly, Xion charges forward as well, intending to meet it half way.

Though the ground was unsteady due to the effect the Heartless was having upon it, she's able to maintain her balance and continue forward. She when she thought she was going to get close enough to strike out, the Heartless opens its mouth while its pincers spread wide and a funnel of wind and sand come blasting out, nailing her hard and sending her flying back to impact against some exposed ruins.

The hit against the ruin coughs her to cough up saliva and blood and she remains pressed against it, stunned for a moment as the Heartless comes racing at her; its aim was to smash her through the ruins. Though still in a daze, she recovers just enough to react in time; dodging clear as the Antlion collides with the structure, causing it to explode from the impact.

Xion goes rolling on the ground, then tries to pick herself up but finds her body not as responsive as she would like it to be. Though her vision was becoming blurred, she could make out the Antlion was circling around, aiming to try another attempt at taking her out.

Was this it for her? Would she be defeated here and now by this Heartless? Would she fail to save Roxas...NO, that thought was unacceptable to her. Finding herself being filled with anger at the thought that she would fail to save her friend causes her to shake in rage. Though this feeling was new, it felt like it could trigger something within her.

"You...I won't let you...you won't...stop me from...SAVING HIM" she screams out as her right hand suddenly thrust outwards, a ball of black and purple colored fire blasting outwards that slams into the Antlion's face, making it roar in pain as it's angle of attack shifts, causing it to miss Xion.

Xion blinks in surprise, looking at her right hand and wondering what had just happened? She didn't know she had a power like this. It was...she didn't know what it was to be honest, but if it could help her win here, then she would use it no matter what.

Her grip now back to being firm with her Keyblade, she charges at the Antlion, who senses her approach, and swings its drill like bottom at her. Xion jumps over the attack, releasing more Dark Fire attacks that collide with the Antlion, making it roar in pain again before it re-angles itself directly upwards at Xion, launching toward her for a final attempt at defeating her.

"I'm finishing this now" she yells, coming down at it and sending another Dark Fire spell raining down at it, nailing the Heartless right between the eyes which momentarily blinds it, creating enough of a distraction for her to send her Keyblade thrusting down hard into its face, piercing it.

The Heartless roars one final time as light begins to shoot from the various parts of its body before the whole creatures explodes in a blast of pure light, releasing a massive heart and sending Xion falling to the ground, making a hard landing. She was hurting from the impact, but she smiles all the same as she had defeated the Heartless. Now, all that was left why getting inside and finding the statue...

Night had fallen by the time Xion had made it back to Agrabah with the statue in hand. She was tired, dirty, and feeling winded. Getting into the ruins hadn't been a problem with the Antlion's defeat. Getting around some collapsed rubble and the cobwebs had been a little more trying. But she had found her target which made it all worth the trouble.

Once she was back inside the city, she waste no time in returning to the peddler's stand. Upon seeing her and the statue, his eyes light up and he says "You did it? You actually did it. I can't believe it. I thought I had sent you off to your death back there."

"No one...or thing, was going to stop me from getting that elixir of yours" pants out Xion, feeling out of breath as she places the statue on the counter. "Now, for your end of the deal..."

"Of course my dear, of course..." says the peddler as he pulls the elixir out and goes to hand it to her.

But at that moment, a small monkey wearing a purple colored vest and a fez hat comes running across the table, knocking the elixir from the peddlers hands onto the ground which causes it to shatter. Seconds later, a young man with tanned skin comes running past with an air born dagger in hot pursuit that hits the statue, also causing it to shatter as well.

"Get back here, you lousy street rat" shouts the captain of the guard as he and his men come running past.

"Thanks for the invite, but I'm gonna have to decline" shouts back the youth named Aladdin as he and his partner in crime, Abu, turn a corner in their attempt to escape the guards pursuing them.

"Oh no, the elixir" cries Xion, her eyes having gone wide and tearing up.

"NO, MY POOR TREASURE" shrieks the peddler. "My fortune, gone. And that blasted monkey destroyed that bottle of sun stroke cure as well."

"Huh?" asked Xion. "What do you mean by sun stroke cure?"

"The elixir I gave you. It was an instant cure for those suffering from sun stroke. What, that wasn't the problem your friend was having?" asked the peddler, getting a no from Xion. "Then it would have been wasted either way. Oh well, that stuff is cheap to get and doesn't work anyways..."

"Wait, you mean you lied to me?" asked Xion, recalling his price for it was far from being cheap.

"Yeah, that's right. Welcome to the world of business" growls the peddler as he gathers up his things. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a shop to relocate."

Xion sinks to her knees, unable to believe what she had just been told. Everything she had done since coming here...it had all been for nothing. Sure, she had defeated a giant Heartless and saved the people of this world from any serious trouble for the time being. But that didn't seem all that important at the moment to her. Xion balls her hands into fist as her tears fall onto the ground.

"Roxas...I'm so sorry. I failed..."

Her words are stopped suddenly as she senses something. Opening her eyes, she sees a glow coming from some of the shattered statue that had fallen onto the ground. Curious as to what was causing that glow, she reach's out and push's the statue pieces off to the side, revealing a petal like object that was yellow and green in color. This object, which also had a bit of silver at its pointed end and a hole cut into the silver, was the source of the glow.

"What is this?" she wonders aloud as she reach's out and touch's it. The moment her fingers make contact, an image appears in her mind of a boy who had the same face as Roxas. "That was...Roxas? Maybe this belongs to him?" She wasn't sure why, but she felt that maybe this could help so she picks it up and heads to exit the city so she could return to the castle.

**(Never Was)**

"How long does he have?" asked Zexion.

"A few hours at best" says Xemnas. "Such a sad way for this to end..."

"So we really can't do anything for him then?" asked Zexion.

"All we can do is to make him comfortable in his final hours" says Xemnas. "Now, you should go get some rest. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him for now."

"Understood" says Zexion as he turns and leaves the room.

Once they were alone, Xemnas looks at Roxas and says "It's to bad things had to end this way. It had been my hope that I would be able to restore your memories and you, in your gratitude, would lead me to..." He stops as he hears footsteps fast approaching the room. Moving back, he hides himself in the shadows so he won't be seen just in time as Xion comes running into the room.

"I'm back, Roxas" she says in between breaths. She wasn't sure what this things she had found would do, but she knew that it would do something and that alone had to be enough.

Walking forward, Xion takes a seat by him then takes his hand with her free hand, saying "Roxas, I'm here with you. So please, come back to me..." She then places the object into his hand and holds it there with her own.

For a second, nothing happens. And then Roxas body begins to glow as the monitors light up. Color returns to Roxas pale skin and his breathing becomes more relaxed and regular. Xion sits there, waiting with baited breath in the hopes that all of this was a good sign.

And then Roxas eyes open. "Uh...where am I? Xion, what...?" says Roxas weakly, his head turning and seeing her looking at him.

"Roxas...Roxas..." she says, tears falling from her eyes before lunging forward and wrapping him in as tight a hug as she could.

"Xi...on...I can't...choking me" says Roxas, barely able to talk as her hug was practically crushing. Who knew that she was this strong.

"You're OK now. I'm so glad" she says happily, though she does let up on her hold enough to let him breath a little. Roxas, though unsure of what was going one, just reach's out and hugs her back on instinct. He then sits up and Xion breaks the hug though she keeps herself leaning in close to him.

"What...I don't understand?" she says suddenly.

"Don't understand what?" he asked.

"Your awake and I'm happy, yet I'm crying. But people only cry when they're sad and I'm not..."

Roxas chuckles lightly as he reach's up and catches a tear with a finger. "Xion, people can cry when they're happy too. That why they call it tears of joy."

"Tears of joy?" she asked, getting a nod from him. "I like this, I like these kinds of tears." She then begins to tell him about all the stuff that had happened when he had fallen into his "coma" while off to the side, unseen and unnoticed, Xemnas stood and listened closely. It seemed things were progressing with Xion in the way he had hoped they would.

And as for Roxas? There was now no longer any doubt about it. He knew exactly what Roxas was...

When morning had come, the other Organization members had arrived and found Roxas still alive and kicking, which had made all of them feel some manner of relief. Though he was ready to get back out there and get back to work, Xemnas had insisted he take the day off which the others had agreed with. After all, there was no need to exhaust himself and risk a relapse of whatever he had been suffering from returning to cause him trouble again.

By the time the day had ended, he had been allowed to leave and wander around again though he would still have to stay in Never Was for another day or two before he would be cleared for active duty again. And so, to pass the time before bed, he along with Xion and Axel had headed to his floor in Memory Skyscraper.

"That was a close call, huh?" asked Roxas before taking a bite from the ice cream bar.

"That's one way to put it" agreed Xion.

"Just as long as you don't do it again" says Axel. "Got that memorized?"

"Yeah, no problem" says Roxas.

"But what do you think happened anyways?" asked Xion.

"Who knows?" says Roxas. "But, and I don't know where the confidence is coming in me saying this, I feel like it won't be an issue again..." He the brings his free hand up and holds the petal shaped object out from hanging around his neck so they could see it.

"Any idea what that is though?" asked Axel, curious due to what Xion had told him.

"Haven't a clue, though it does feel familiar to me somehow" says Roxas. "But..."

"But what?" asked Xion.

"Well...this is gonna sound weird, but I think I regained some of my lost memories" says Roxas.

"You have? Seriously?" asked Axel.

"Yeah, every since I got this. I can recall a few things I couldn't before" says Roxas.

"What did you remember?" asked Xion.

"Let's see..." says Roxas, taking a moment to decide what the order was before telling them what he had recalled.

To be continued...

Secret Report 9:

Xemnas was doing some work at his computer, an image of Xion being on the screen. After hearing her tell Roxas about the power she had awakened during her fight with the Heartless, he had wanted to check something. As he thought, she was progressing well and it looked like she would be ready sooner rather than later.

The door opens and Xigbar walks in. "Well, it seems the little princess has awakened her knight in shining armor. That's a nice twist to the old tales."

"Speaking of that. Has anyone else within the founding members made mention of Xion's physical appearance yet?"

"Zexion has found it curious and Lexaeus more or less said the same. Vexen is assuming she's just some look alike and Xaldin...well, he doesn't say. As for Saix and Axel? Like those two would say anything to me" says Xigbar. "What about Roxas? Just how did he recover like that?"

"I believe he found his anchor...or at least a piece of it" says Xemnas cryptically.

"And that means?" asked Xigbar, only getting a slight chuckle in response from Xemnas.

"Time will reveal that answer..."


	12. When Pictures tell the Tale

**AN: **Well, I know I've said it before but this time I do mean it when I say that this will be my last chapter for a good while. I say because by the time all of you, my reader's, are reading this chapter, I will either be moving into my brother's place (or have already moved in if past Sunday), thus making future updates impossible till I either get moved back into my own place or I can manage a trip to a wifi hot spot from my brother (the later being unlikely though to be honest).

Having said that, I have good news and bad news to tell you all as well. The good news is relating to the job I finally managed to get which was originally going to begin the first week of September, but this has been changed to next week, the last week of August. Well, my orientation day has been pushed forward a week though I'm assuming it will also count as my first day on the job though even if it isn't, I'll still be starting work sooner than expected.

Now for the bad news. Either my land lord or the apartment rental group he's with have decided to serve me with papers, calling for me to appear before a court judge in a few weeks, though I don't understand why seeing as I still have a week left in getting moved from my current apartment and I had told my land lord that I would get the two months worth of rent I owe paid to him once I was able. But it would seem that isn't good enough. This little turn of events has upset me in several ways.

First, I'm gonna have to ask for a day off from my job, or at least take a half day, which can't be good considering I'm just starting this job and to ask for a day off or a half day so soon after starting could result in me having my employment terminated. Second, this whole thing will not only cut into the paycheck I would be working on during that time, but my plans to be moved back into my own place, which had been originally planned to happen before the end of October will now have to be put off till November, possibly even December depending on how things go during this court thing.

Then there's the biggest concern for me. Given how my luck has been lately (taking me four months just to get a job and now this court appearance order), I can't help but think I'll walk out of this court thing with an even bigger bill that will need to be paid to my former land lord than expected (heaven forbid they make me pay double or more). If this happens, I won't be back to living in my own place till sometime next year. And there's even the possibility I may have to move away to another town or city depending on how all of this goes as I think the group my land lord's connected to owns all the apartments where I live (and if they are behind the court thing, then renting out anywhere else here where I live may be impossible, or I'll suffer a higher rent than others would pay).

I'm currently trying to land a second job, either part time or full time so as to help accelerate my financial recovery, especially if I do get screwed over in this court deal. But given my luck at landing one job alone, getting a second seems nigh impossible. If you don't hear from me (meaning find any new chapters of this or my other stories being uploaded) then assume the worst case scenario occurred and I'm either trying to pay off more than I should have to or I lost my new job because of this crap.

Well, I thought I'd let you all know what was going on. Sorry for the long author's note. Till the day I can continue telling you my stories...

**RH**

The girl in white opened her sleepy eyes, having to close them again for a moment in order to block out the rays of morning sunlight that were filtering in through the small openings within the drapes of her room. She sits up, yawns, then gets out of bed before making her way into the built in bathroom to freshen up for the day.

Once she was done, she walks out with only a towel wrapped around her petite body while another towel was being used to help finish drying her hair. She then sits down at a vanity table and spends the next few minutes brushing her light blonde hair, then tying the end into a pony tail which comes to hang along her right shoulder. She then opens the closet and pulls out a white dress to wear.

Once she was dressed, she looks around the room which had been painted all white. It dawns on her that everything in this room was white, the walls, ceiling, and floor. The table, vanity, and bed. The sheets, drapes, towels, shoes, and even her clothes; all white. Even her skin tone had a pale, almost white coloring to it. This was a little overboard, she thought.

Still, she couldn't complain as this wasn't even her place nor was it owned by anyone connected to the group she currently found herself with. They had converted an old, abandoned mansion into the private base of operations. And she was a prisoner here as well; never allowed to leave this room under any circumstance. It was lonely for her, though that 'boy' would often find a way to visit her without that man knowing about it.

Those visits were one of only three things she found any joy in. The other two being when she looked past the drapes outside and wished she could live out there. And the last were the pictures she drew in her little sketch book; many of which had sense gone to hang on the wall to break the unending sea of white. She takes a moment to look at the pictures.

There were various pictures of three individuals, each holding a crude rendition of a Keyblade in hand. One in particular showed two of them protecting a girl with red hair. There were also images of a boy that resembled Roxas battling Heartless and the Twilight Thorn as well as his time with them, the O12 as her friend liked to call them. She then goes to sit at the table and opens the sketch book to a blank page, opens up her box of crayons, and begins to draw.

You see, she had special powers; dreams of the past, present, and even the future on occasions. She also had a power to see the memories of those she was around and, as such, could manipulate and change them if she so chose. This was the reason why she was a prisoner as that man wanted to use her power for his own personal goals. Her drawings depicted the visions she had seen, either in dreams or awake suddenly; those resulting in her collapsing onto the ground, unconscious for a moment.

And today was no exception as her hands guided the the soft outline of a pencil that would act as the basis for the drawing. And this drawing would show a near future event; that of the black haired girl facing the 'boy' in the black coat in battle...

**Realm Hearts**

**chpt.12: When Pictures tell the Tale**

Outside that very mansion, beyond the massive iron fence that protected it, stood Olette though her attention wasn't on the mansion itself. Instead, she had come her to recall that day more easily in her mind. The day Roxas had first called forth the Keyblade and saved her from the Heartless.

"That feels like a lifetime ago" she says with a melancholy voice.

How long had it been since he had left them? At least a month, she figured if not more than that. She missed him terribly but knew that didn't mean much in the long run. After all, the way she and the others in town had treated him following his saving them from that Darkside, she couldn't blame him for leaving. And even after all this time, she still didn't know why they had said what they did or acted that way towards him.

Sighing, she turns around and heads back towards the forest. If she didn't hurry, she'd be late for school though these days, attending didn't seem all that important to her. But she didn't want the others to worry about her so she would make the effort all the same. And then after school...

She would return to the place where it all began and do what she believed in her heart she needed to do.

**(Never Was)**

"Are you sure you're feeling OK, Roxas?" asked Xion as the two of them exited the thirteenth tower and began their short walk to the large lounge that also acted as the Organization's meeting room.

"Yeah, I told you I was fine" says Roxas, looking at her and giving her an encouraging smile. "Geez, Xion, you realize you've become such a mother hen since I had my little episode."

"Well, I'm sorry if my being worried about you and concerned for your well being is putting you off any. Fine then, see if I ever worry about you again" says Xion, puffing her cheeks out in a huff while looking away with a slight annoyed and angry expression.

"I'm only kidding, Xion" says Roxas, apologetically. "Will you forgive me?"

She looks back at him then sticks her tongue out before looking away again, much to his surprise. "Oh, that is so cute. Seeing you two have a little lover's quarrel is just so precious" comes the voice of Larxene from behind them, making them jump in surprise before turning back to look at her.

"We're not having a quarrel. I just wish Roxas wouldn't be so nonchalant about what happened to him and teasing me about being worried over his well being" complains Xion.

"Lovers?" asked Roxas, his cheeks becoming a little pink from the thoughts those words had triggered.

"That's how boys are, Xion. And as a girl myself, I can only tell you to just accept it as they'll never change" says Larxene before laughing a little.

"Fine" says Xion.

Larxene gives her a smile, then looks at Roxas and says "You've really changed her, you know that right?" This gets both Xion and Roxas to look at each other then back at her again.

"Do you really think so?" asked Roxas.

"Is that true?" adds Xion.

"Of course it is. Anyone can see the change in her. When Xion first came to us, she was nothing more than a blank slate due to the life she had been living. But now, thanks mostly to her interactions with you, Roxas, she's opened up and has become much more expressive. She smiles, talks, can feel both happy, sad, and even anger every now and then. And it's all because of you" says Larxene.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" says Roxas. He then looks at Xion and says "She's learned what it means to live her life since coming here."

"That's right, kiddo. One could say that she was unversed before but now has become quite versed and its all because of you" says Larxene.

Xion looks at Roxas and says "Yeah, you have helped me out, Roxas. Thank you..."

"Sure, anytime" he says back.

"Now you two, we better hurry or Saix will chew us out for being extra late in our arrival" says Larxene before walking past them and taking the lead towards the lounge.

_'Unversed? That's an interesting word...and somehow familiar too? Just where have I heard that word before...?'_

After another few minutes worth of walking, the three members of the Organization enter to see Saix waiting for them, rather impatiently from the look he gave them. "You three are seven minutes late."

"Sorry about that" says Larxene, though she didn't sound sincere. "My fault entirely. Now, will you give me my assignment already?" She says the last part as an order, showing that she hadn't suddenly gone soft due to her previous apology.

"Here" says Saix, not wanting to debate anything with her as he knew it would bring on a headache.

Larxene grabs the paper from him, gives it a quick read, then forms a portal in front of her. She then looks at Roxas and Xion, saying "Well you two, try not to quarrel out there on the job...though I'm sure you'd both enjoy the making up after part." She then gives them a wink before entering her portal.

"What does that mean?" asked Xion, looking at Roxas.

Roxas shrugs, saying "Looks like she's the one teasing us now."

"Enough, you two" says Saix, getting their attention back onto him. He then hands them each their assignment papers. "Roxas, you'll be taking it easy for your first mission back in the field..."

"Don't tell me you're gonna pull the mother hen routine with me too?" groans Roxas, causing Xion to glare a little at him.

"Not my choice. This order comes from lord Xemnas who doesn't want you to overexert yourself so soon after what happened" says Saix. "If it were up to me, you'd be back hunting Heartless and collecting hearts for us already."

Roxas sighs, either he was being babied or being thrown back into the lions den with these people. Why couldn't there be a nice middle ground with them? He then reads over his assignment, asking "So, I'm off to Wonderland again?"

"Just to scout out more of the area for us. Nothing major" says Saix, who then turns his attention to Xion who was also reading up on her assignment. "Xion, you'll also be going to a world we've visited before. Your mission to to scout out the wooded areas between the small village and the large castle."

"Am I to check out the castle itself?" she asked.

Saix shakes his head, saying "Not this trip. Xaldin, wearing clothing suited for this particular world, entered the village and learned from the locals that the castle has been cursed by some sort of enchantress. It is the home to a beast or so it is said. Though I have my doubts, it's better to play it safe for now as you'll be on your own."

Xion nods and says "Understood."

"Now then, if there isn't anything else, you two better getting going then" says Saix, opening portals for the both of them. Roxas and Xion look at each other, nod, then head off onto their respective missions.

Once he had passed through the portal, Roxas found himself upon familiar ground; the hallway that led to the small/large room, depending on your size at the time, with the talking door knob. He looks around, seeing no sign of the White Rabbit anywhere, then begins to walk forward.

"Here I am again in Wonderland...hm, why do I have a feeling there's a song in there somewhere?" wonders Roxas aloud while digging into his pocket and pulls out his com-device so he could access the auto map it had made of this place during his last trip here. If he was going to be scouting around this place some more, he should at least add more to the digital map while he was at it.

**(with Xion)**

As soon as he had exited the portal, Xion is forced to hide quickly as she had arrived at the center of the small town Saix had told her existed here. And her concealing herself was just in time too as a tall and well built man came walking into the area; a man who kind of reminded her of Brom Bones in a way, except he had a looked that said he had a much higher opinion of himself.

"Hey Gaston" comes a smaller and weaker looking nerdy man who runs up to join the taller man. "Going hunting again?"

"In more ways than one" says Gaston confidently. "Today is the day sweet Belle will finally be mine."

"Uh huh, sure" says the nerdy man which gets Gaston to turn and smack him a good one.

"Are you implying that she will turn all of this down" asked Gaston, making a pose while flexing his muscles.

The nerdy man rubs his sore nose, then says "She hasn't been into all of that before so why would she change her mind today?"

Gaston gives a hearty chuckle, then says "I shall tell you why today will be different my meek and ratty little friend." Gaston then goes into a long winded explanation on how his plan couldn't possibly fail.

_'Boy, that guy takes himself to seriously. I can see why that Belle girl...whoever she is, wouldn't be interested'_ thinks Xion before turning away and sneaking off without being seen. While it might be fun to watch this guy fail, she had a job to do and watching him wasn't it.

Once she had exited the village, Xion pulls out her com-device and looks up the map for this area that the others had made. She then makes her way into the woods so she could begin her search proper.

Elsewhere, deeper within the forest, the quiet tranquility is sudden broken as a portal of dark energy opens followed by a figured draped in the same coat worn by the Organization members stepping out of the portal. The hood turns left then right at the newly arrived person takes a moment to look around.

"Could my target be here?" wondered the hooded figure. Seeing a castle in the distance through the see of trees, the figure sets out to take a look as that may the the location they have been looking forward.

**(later that day)**

Xion sighs as she takes a break by sitting on a stump and looking to the sky. She could tell that the sun had started to set and was wondering if she should call it a day and head back to Never Was. She then looks around and sees the castle she had been warned about earlier and found herself having a moment of mild curiosity about it.

"Well, I haven't seen any Heartless in the area nor any sign of the Keyhole either. Maybe I could...?"

She pulls out her com-device and brings of the map. According to it, she could reach the main gate of the castle in about thirty minutes or so and there was at least that much time left before the sun would set. Making her decision, Xion gets up and starts heading towards the castle. She wouldn't go inside it, but she could at least check the front gate and the court yard of the castle to see if there would be a reaction from her Keyblade. Now all she hoped was that her curiosity wouldn't do to her what it did to the cat.

**(Roxas)**

Roxas opened his eyes, realizing he had fallen asleep on a giant mushroom. Sitting up and looking around, he sees no sign of that pipe smoking talking caterpillar with the attitude problem. "Well, today certainly was a forgettable one" he says as he slides down from the mushroom onto the ground.

Apart from the caterpillar, he had met two twins called Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb and had endured some nonsensical story about a Carpenter and a Walrus and how they led a bunch of baby clams to their deaths. Or at least that's what he could recall of the story anyways as he had become drowsy from having to listen to it. Meeting the caterpillar and having to put up with it had been the clincher for him.

He pulls out his com-device and starts to look through the various options in it. "I wonder if Xion and Axel have gotten back from their missions yet...hey, what's this?"

Roxas had found something he didn't know existed within the com-device before; a listing of all the other members in the Organization, including Xion's name. Curious about this, Roxas highlights her name and clicks it, finding several options coming up. There was one for sending a message to her and there was even an option to open a portal to the world she was currently in.

Choosing to contact her first, Roxas finds nothing but static coming out of the speaker. "I guess it only works if you're both in the same world" he figures. He then selects the portal option, making a Twilight Gate appear before him. "Doubt I'll find anything today, so I'll go see how she's doing."

He then steps into the portal, finding himself arriving in the same town Xion had arrived in that morning. And, like Xion had before, he's forced to hide as Gaston comes wobbling into view with his nerdy follower close behind.

"I can't believe it...she turned me down...AGAIN" says Gaston, sounding distraught.

"Told ya she would" says the nerdy guy, getting a swift punch to the gut from Gaston who then grabs him by his collar.

"Make no mistake of it, my ratty friend. One day, Belle will be mine. This I swear" says Gaston before storming off to the local pub, feeling a need for a drink and the companion of them bar wenches now.

The nerdy man coughs for a bit, then sighs. "I'll take the Vegas odds on that one" he says before following after Gaston.

"Yeesh, and I thought Brom Bones was a blowhard" says Roxas to himself before turning to his com-device, returning to Xion's page and selecting the map locator, which takes a moment to load as it auto updates with the information Xion's exploration had made to the world's map.

"OK, there she is" says Roxas, preparing to contact her, but stops as he decides to surprise her instead. He then sneaks out of the village, heading in the direction the tracker would pointing him in.

**(Xion)**

The darkness of night had come to cover the sky by the time Xion had arrived at the castle's front gate. Despite the thought that she would arrive before the sun would have fully set, she found that it had been a bit after the fact before her arrival due to the map not alerting her to the steep hills and rocks she would have to get around in order to make it here.

Of course, she had also chosen to avoid taken the main road to this place in order to prevent meeting anyone traveling upon it; an idea that she soon realized was foolish seeing as the taboo about the castle would insure running into someone on the way there wouldn't have been an issue.

Well, she was here now and though she knew she needed to be getting back as she was already late to begin with, she couldn't just turn around and leave now that she was here at the castle. She at least needed to peek through the main gate and see the court yard beyond it.

Moving up to the gate, she peers through the bars and finds it rather bleak and uninteresting inside. But this view also kept her from seeing to much of the large court yard as well. If only she could...

Without even thinking, Xion's hands reach up and grip the gate, giving it a pull and was surprised to find it moved slightly. Curious, she pulls harder and the gate slowly creaks open enough for her tiny frame to pass through. Had the gate always been unlocked or had the locked rusted and broken?

"I really shouldn't..." she says, taking a step back away from the gate.

She had been told not to go near the castle, to say nothing of going inside, alone. Plus, she was late in reporting back and she knew Roxas, Axel, and maybe the others would start to worry about her. Still, she had come this far and it would be a shame to leave without seeing a little more.

What harm could it do anyways?

Her curiosity winning out over better judgment, Xion passes into the castle's court yard and begins to look around. Along the walls, she could see several small flower beds that, to her surprise, had flowers growing in them. And based on their appearance, they seemed to be doing rather well too. Did that mean someone actually lived here and took care of them?

A sudden, distant roar is suddenly heard, coming from much higher up in the castle's towers. "That doesn't sound so inviting" says Xion, stepped back towards the gate. Maybe coming in here had been a mistake. She then turns and runs back to the gate, passing it, and runs across the bridge to make some distance with this place. And as a safety precaution, she calls her Keyblade out just in case.

But as she reach's the other side of the bridge, she feels a resonance come from her Keyblade which brings her to a stop; her attention now on the Keyblade itself. Was the Keyhole for this world nearby? No, the feeling was different that what she had felt back in Sleepy Hollow. No, this feeling was...

It felt the same as when ever she would call her Keyblade out when Roxas was with her. Did that mean...? A creaking sounding gets her to look back towards the castle, seeing the gate had been fully closed again and the one who had done it was now walking towards her. Did she know him? He was dressed in the same black coat as all Organization members wore.

"Roxas? Is that you?" asked Xion to the hooded figure who approached her slowly.

As the figure drew closer, Xion realizes it wasn't Roxas as this person was a little taller than him. Also, it couldn't be anyone else in the group as this person was shorter that the rest and the manner in which the person walked was different too. She had considered Larxene for a moment but she didn't walk like that. Was this another member she hadn't met yet; that no one had told her about yet?

As the unknown figure reach's Xion, she ask him "Hey, are you one us of? A member of the Organ...?"

The hooded person stops right beside her, the hood having turned slightly towards her as his left hand rises up to rest on her shoulder. "You're with the Organization?"

"Yeah, that's right" replied Xion, feeling confused. "Aren't you one of us too?"

The person's grip on her shoulder tightens suddenly, then a blade that looked like a demon's wing appears in his right hand. "Sorry about this..." says the person regretfully before swinging his weapon; Soul Eater, at Xion.

Xion reaction was fast; pushing his hand off her while jumping away and summoning forth her Keyblade to block and push his attack back. This surprises the hooded figure as he hadn't expected to see a Keyblade appear in the girls hand.

"Hey, who are you? And why did you attack me like that?" asked Xion, readying herself for another attack from this guy.

"A Keyblade? How is it that a Nobody can wield the Keyblade? Your kind have no hearts from what I have been told" asked the hooded boy.

"I'm not a Nobody" yells Xion. "But I am helping them. Now why did you attack me before?"

"Orders" says the hooded boy. "If I encounter anyone from the Organization, I have to eliminate them without fail. That includes those who would ally with them as well."

The hooded figure then charges forward, wanting to check something as he hadn't been aware of the Organization having a Keybearer with them. Had his boss not known about this? He doubted that as DiZ went to great lengths to know what was going on within their ranks by unknown ways and means.

As Keyblade and Soul Eater clashed with one another, something wasn't feeling right for either of them. For the hooded boy, the feeling he was getting from each strike was different than what he was expecting and he couldn't figure out why this was. And for Xion, her Keyblade was telling her that she was engaged in battle against another Keybearer but his weapon clearly wasn't a Keyblade.

Xion goes for a low swing, hoping to connect with a knee to knock him off his feet. But the hooded boy simply jumps up, over her attack, then sends Soul Eater slashing down hard which Xion blocks with her Keyblade. They exchange several more blows before jumping back away from each other.

"I see now..." says the hooded boy, running at her. "Now I know what's going on."

"What does that mean?" asked Xion, going for him as well.

As they approach one another, the hooded boy fakes a vertical slash at her shoulders, making her bring her Keyblade up to block the hit. But at the last second, he changes his attack, instead going low then up to hit the Keyblade from below with enough force to knock it from her hands. Before Xion could react to this, the hooded boy uses his free hand to hard push against her stomach, sending her flying back across the bridge, hitting hard against the castle's gate.

Xion groans as she tries to pick herself up, then looks to see the hooded boy leaning down and picking up her Keyblade, then examines it carefully. "Hands off...that's mine..." says Xion, forcing past the pain she was feeling to get back on her feet.

"Here...take it" says the hooded boy, surprising her by tossing the Keyblade back over to her. "There's no value in keeping this thing anyways. Its just a sham, a fake Keyblade. It has no real power behind it."

_'A sham? A fake? It has no real power...?' _thinks Xion, glaring at him in confusion. "What's that suppose to mean, anyways?"

"It doesn't matter" says the boy, preparing to launch another attack. "I guess the Organization found a way to make fakes for their own use. That means you must be a Nobody then. Just a sham like the rest."

"I am not a sham...nor is my Keyblade" says Xion, angrily. "You have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Maybe...but there's only one way to know for sure" says the hooded boy before charging at her. Xion tries to move to counter him, but finds her body not wanting to respond due to the previous injury.

"Stay away from her" yells Roxas as he darts across the bridge with his Keyblade at the ready.

The hooded boy turns just in time to see him and blocks the attack, then says "Another one? How many of you are there in...wait..."

This time, he was getting a different feeling from his opponent. Unlike the girl, this guy was the real deal it seemed. He actually had a real Keyblade in hand. Seeing his opponent become distracted, Roxas swing hard, knocking the hooded boy off balance, then swings again and knocks him off his feet. He tries for a third attack, but the hooded boy rolls out of the feet and is quick on getting back up, then leaps over Roxas which allows Roxas to be in between him and Xion.

"You OK, Xion?" asked Roxas.

Xion nods, saying "Yeah, more or less. But that guy..."

"Don't worry, I'll deal with him" says Roxas before charging at his opponent.

"Wait, Roxas" yells Xion, making him stop.

He looks back at her and ask "Why? What's wrong?"

"Tell me something..." comes the hooded boy, getting both their attentions back onto him. "You wear the coat of the Organization, yet you can wield the Keyblade. That means that, unlike them, you have a heart, thus you can't be a Nobody. So why would you willing work with them?"

"First tell me who you are and why you attacked Xion?" demands Roxas.

"Very well" comes the hooded boy as he reaches up with his free hand, pulling the hood back to reveal his face. He had blue/white colored hair and appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen.

"My name is Riku. I attacked your friend because of her wearing the coat of an Organization member and I have been tasked with eliminating them...amongst other things."

"But you are also wearing the coat as well" points out Xion

"Not by choice" says Riku. "Though it does have its advantages..."

"OK, then why are you targeting Organization members then? And why did you stop with me then?" asked Roxas.

"I...can't tell you why apart from the fact that though I have nothing against them personally myself, one that I work with does have some issues and in order to receive his help, I have to help him in turn by taking them out. As for why I'm not attacking you now? It's because you are a Keybearer and my orders don't include attacking your kind unless provoked."

"And Xion? Why did you attack her?" asked Roxas.

"I thought she was a Nobody" says Riku.

"And what made you figure that?" asked Roxas.

Riku nearly speaks his reason but stops before the words can leave his lips. Thinking about it, he realizes he did feel the same thing from Xion as he felt from Roxas, but it was muffled; buried deep inside. That Keyblade of her's may have been a fake in his opinion, but maybe it didn't mean she was as well. Perhaps it was simply a training tool she was using to help her call forth her true Keyblade?

"I...it was my mistake. My apologies" says Riku, bowing slightly. As Xion, having gotten back onto her feet at last and moved to stand by Roxas, Riku says "Your name is Roxas, correct? I believe that's the name she called you by."

"That's right" says Roxas.

Riku's weapon disappears from his hand, then followed by him pulling a device that looked similar to the com-devices used by the Organization out from his pocket and opens a portal, though this one was different to the ones used by the Organization; being more dark and ominous in appearance.

"If I were either of you two, I'd leave the Organization as soon as possible" says Riku before turning away and stepping into the portal. "From what I've been told about them, they are far from trust worthy." He stops, looks back at them, and says one final thing.

"If you do stay with them, then we'll have to fight again someday and I rather not fight with my fellow bearer's..." And then, he was gone.

"Wait" yells Roxas, chasing after Riku, wanting to ask him what it was he meant. But the portal closes before he could reach it. "What did he mean...by all of that, and by calling us fellow bearer's?"

"Roxas, I think he may be a Keybearer as well" says Xion, walking up to join him.

Roxas looks back at her, clearly shocked by her words. "He's a...but his weapon wasn't a..."

"I know, I saw his weapon up close too. But when we crossed blades, I could feel it. The same power that comes from you; power I've felt when we have our practice match's. Didn't you feel the same thing when you battled him?"

Roxas thinks about it, then realizes Xion was right. He had felt something familiar within Riku, but had been to focused on saving Xion to notice it till now. "I wonder why he didn't summon his Keyblade forth then?" wonders Roxas aloud.

"Maybe he's trying to keep the fact he has one hidden" suggest Xion. "To be honest, I'm more curious about what he said to us before he left?"

"You mean about how we shouldn't trust the Organization?" asked Roxas, getting a nod from Xion.

Roxas takes a moment to think about it, considering that he may have said that just to cause unrest within the trust that existed within the group. But deep down, something was telling him that...

"Maybe he's right" says Roxas, surprising Xion. "When I think back on it, the appearance of the Organization in Twilight Town shortly after the Heartless appeared there seems a little too coincidental. And I can't help but feel that there's something they haven't told us about either..."

"So should we leave them then?" asked Xion. "Run away right now and don't look back?"

Roxas laughs, saying "And where would we go? No, we'll head back for now and report on what happened here; see what it is they have to say about all this. But we she be more observant of them from now on at least, just in case that Riku guy is right about them."

"Agreed" says Xion. They then begin heading back towards the woods, where they would open the portal back to Never Was, away from any prying eyes that could be watching them.

"Roxas..." says Xion, getting his attention. "There is something he said that's bugging me though. Something said before you arrived..."

"What's that?" asked Roxas.

Xion hesitates for a moment, then begins to tell him about Riku's words on her Keyblade being a fake.

**(Twilight Town)**

"So, Olette isn't coming by again today, huh?" says Hayner. He and Pence were at the Usual Spot, sitting around, doing the homework assignment for the day.

"I doubt it" says Pence. "Ever since...that day, she hasn't really been herself. Even her grades, which have always been top notch, have been slipping lately. Not that we can't blame her though."

"Yeah..." says Hayner, looking over at the Struggle Festival winners trophy that was sitting on the table in the back of their little hide out. "I wonder if he'll ever come back?"

"I hope so, if for no other reason than it would make Olette happy again" says Pence.

"It would make us all happy" says Hayner in agreement.

**(Twilight Beach)**

"Here I am again" says Olette, standing alone on the beach in her school uniform, looking out over the ocean. "This is where you and I first met...sort of."

She had taken the train out here to the beach, coming to the spot she had found Roxas at a year before. She still came here, everyday at this late hour at the same time she had found him before. She knew it was crazy to think this way, but she hoped that maybe one day, she would find him here again.

But that was just a dream, wasn't it? Maybe that's why today was a little different than the others.

Being held in her hands was a large glass bottle and a rolled up piece of paper. Today, she was going to try to send a message to him, hoping beyond hope that it would find its way to him somehow, someday. Kneeling down, she places the bottle on the sand, then pops the lid off.

She then uses her free hand to reach into her pocket, pulling out the center of the pendent she had found with Roxas that day. Before, it had possessed five petal like attachments to it; now it was just the center piece that had connected them all as the five petals had taken flight when she had touched the pendent by some unknown power. She had planned on giving this to Roxas that day at the beach, but...

"All I can do for now is wait...and hope" she says as she drops the pendent core into the bottle, then inserts the rolled up paper into it as well, finally re-corking the bottle to protect the precious contents. She then takes the bottle in hand again, stands, and walks out into the water.

The ocean was cold as summer had ended and it was well into autumn now, but the cold didn't bother her that much. She brings the bottle close to her face, says "Please find your way safely to him", then she kiss's the bottle before placing it gently upon the water.

As the tide carried the bottle away from her, towards the never ending ocean, Olette reach's into her pocket again and pulls out the green crystal that Roxas had left behind; now the only thing she had left of his. "Please, find your way to him..."

Off to the side, concealed behind some rocks, stood a figure who was watching her. "Hm, interesting. There may be a use in her I can exploit..."

**(an hour later, at the old mansion)**

Riku was leaning against the wall in DiZ's lab, which had once been the basement of the old mansion converted for the masked man's private use, when the secret door that led to the dining room opens and a figure dressed in red and black walks down the stairs into the lab.

"Where did you run off too?" asked Riku as DiZ passed him, taking a seat at his computer consul.

"I had a few...errands to run; nothing you need worry about. Anyways, how did the search go?"

Riku walks over to him, saying "Sorry, still no luck. Though there was a castle in the world I explored, it wasn't the one you were interested in finding. Also, I didn't find any sign of that king guy you're looking for either."

"I figured it would be another dead end. No matter, we still have time to spare" says DiZ, typing something into his computer. "So, there wasn't anything note worthy about this world then?"

"...No, nothing at all. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rest now" says Riku, getting a nod from DiZ. As he heads up the stairs, Riku reflects on his words. Sure, he had met Roxas and Xion, but DiZ didn't need to know about that. And why was this his thought?

Because just as he had warned them about trusting their allies, so to did he have his own issues with his, especially how he treated her. In time, he hoped the four of them would come together and escape the services of these people who only wanted them to serve their own goals; not for the greater good.

And in her room, the girl had finally finished her latest drawing; liking to take her time in the little things called detail. Getting up, she walks a little and finds a spot on the wall to hang the picture, then steps back and looks at it. She wondered though, what visions would she have next?

And where all of this would lead them...

**to be continued...**

**Secret Memory 1: The Boy who's Name means Wind**

"Where are you going, big brother?" asked the small, blonde haired kid of seven, looking at his older, twelve year old brother who had black hair instead of blonde.

The older brother grabs his jacket and begins to put in on, saying "Out for a bit. I need to go meet with that guy who came by here the other day and give him my answer. Don't worry though, I won't be gone to long."

"Why can't I come with you" asked the smaller boy. "The mansion gets lonely and scary when I'm here alone. Since mom and dad died, you and I are the only ones left. Even the people father hired to come help around here don't come by anymore."

"You'll be fine. Your a big kid now and as such, you need to gain courage. How else will you get the girls to like you" teased the older brother, looking back at the younger and ruffling his hair. He then kneels down, reach's into his pocket, and pulls out a small gold and silver colored key.

"Here, this is the key to the safe in the hidden room down in the basement. You remember where that is, right?" asked the older brother, getting a nod from the younger. He then places the key into his younger brothers hand and says "Inside is all our munny so take what you need out to go by some lunch in town later."

"OK" says the little brother. "You'll really be back soon though, right?"

The older brother stands and gives him a thumbs up. "Before you know it" he says before walking out the front door to attend to his business.

He never came back...

**(two years later)**

The younger brother made his way through the markets, having picked up a new weeks worth of groceries and was now heading back to the mansion; that lonely place filled with nothing bad sad memories and reminders of better days that would never come again.

His brother hadn't returned like he had promised. He had gone out and searched everywhere and even the towns folk had helped, but no trace was ever found. It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. After passing through the forest, the boy arrived at his home which was starting to look something shabby due to the little attention that was being given towards her upkeep.

Maybe he should just leave it, move into a smaller apartment in Twilight Town? It would certaintly make going from home to the markets and back again with groceries much easier on him. Plus, the munny was running out and it wouldn't be long before he'd need to find himself a job in town.

He then notices it; the front gate was open just a little. Could it be...? He runs forward, slipping past the gate and running up to the house and finds the door also hanging open. Running inside, he lays the groceries on the ground, then begins to run from room to room, searching for the one who had come here. "Brother? Brother?" he yells every few moments as he search's the mansion.

But there was no one there. Sighing, he sits on the steps that connect the first and second floors together, feeling depressed. He had gotten his hopes up for nothing it seemed. Though what would he have done had it actually been his brother? Hug him? Yell at him? Maybe even punch him? He didn't know for sure. Maybe all three. Seeing the groceries laying there, waiting for him, he gets up and walks over to them, preparing to pick up the bags and take them to the kitchen.

"Lonely here, isn't it?" comes a voice from behind, making the boy spin around. There, standing on the very step he had just been sitting on, was a figure dressed in a white coat with a hood hiding his face. This person had to be a he from the sound of his voice and he must be rather young as well.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked the boy.

"I came here to see you. As for my name? Are names really so important for someone to have or know? What of you, can you tell me your name?" asked the hooded youth.

"I could...but something tells me you already know it seeing as you came here to see me, or so you've claimed" says the boy, hoping this guy wasn't planning on attacking him.

The hooded youth chuckles, saying "True. As for me, I guess you could say I'm something of a...a lingering sentiment if you will. But that isn't so important to talk about right now. I came here for a purpose and that purpose was to give you a gift."

"What kind of gift?" asked the boy.

The hooded youth's response is to hold his right hand out, causing a large key like object to appear. The boy found it beyond interesting to look at. The hilt had a heart shaped hand guard around it with a smaller heart like design at its opposite end with three small musical notes sticking out just before it. The silver colored blade had a glow going along it that made it shine radiantly.

"What is that?" asked the boy.

"A Keyblade" was the youths reply. "Radiant Heart if you want an actual name given for it." He then steps off the stairs and stabs the Keyblade into the ground, releases his hold on it, then steps back a few steps. "Take hold of it and we'll see if it will accept you."

"I don't understand?" says the boy.

"We're doing the inheritance ceremony of course. This is how new Keybearer's are chosen. Someone like me finds a worthy candidate and the Keyblade determines if that person is worthy. Just do as I ask and I'll explain more after the fact."

Though he was confused, the boy nods and steps forward. "OK, here I go" says the boy as he reach's out, then gulps a little before taking hold of the Keyblade. For just a second, nothing happens...and then the Keyblade gives off a light glow. The youth steps forward, kneels down, and places his hands over the boys hand.

"With this ceremony of inheritance, we freely give the gift of the Key. And through this act of giving, if chosen, its master you shall one day be. Then there will be no borders that can hold you, no chains that can weigh you down. And your heart now is truly free" says the youth before letting go of the boys hand and standing again. "Now, try to summon it...your Keyblade."

"I...OK?" says the boy as he steps back and holds his hand out like he had seen the youth do before.

"Reach inside yourself and find it there, deep within your heart. Take hold...and release it."

The boy does, closing his eyes and looking deep inside himself. He feels a warmth coming from his heart that he never felt before. Focusing on that, he imagines taking hold of that light and...whoosh, the Keyblade appears in his hands.

He opens his eyes and finds it different looking than that of the youths Keyblade. A brown colored hand guard with dark gray color metal. Furthermore, he was holding it in reverse than what was normal as well. "It's different..." says the boy.

"Each heart has its own unique Keyblade and that one is yours" says the youth, walking forward and studying it. "And from the writing on the guard, its name is Wayward Wind." He then turns back and grabs his Keyblade as well.

"Wayward Wind" repeats the boy. "So, what do I do now?"

"Remain here in this town for now. Soon enough, he who will be your master will come and take you away for training. It will be hard but you will become strong and maybe...you'll find your brother out there as well. Now, for one final thing..."

"Wait, you can't train me yourself?" asked the boy.

"I would if I had the time, but my time here is very limited sadly. Just enough for me to have come and done this; give you the power of the Keyblade which you'll need. Now, I'll give you this too" says the youth before taking a hold of the key chain dangling from the boy's Keyblade and touching it against the key chain connected to his own, making them both glow.

"What was that about?" asked the boy.

The youth releases his hold on Wayward Wind's key chain and stands. "You'll come to learn it in time, little wind. In time..." Then, to the boys surprise, the youths body begins to disappear. "As you await the coming of your master, I suggest you learn how to fight with your Keyblade. The knowing will come in handy, trust me..."

"Wait, I still have questions" yells the boy.

The youth smiles behind the hood and says "And in time, you'll have your answers. Just be patient and know that we shall meet again...someday. So, until then, good luck, my friend...Ventus."

**(two months later)**

A woman screams as the Shadow ravaged the markets, making a mess of everything. It then sees a small girl, to scared to move and heads towards her in attack. The girls mother screams as she tries to save her daughter, but there wasn't enough time.

And then the boy named Ventus appears, running as fast as the wind with Keyblade in hand, leaping over various obstacles and attacking the surprised Heartless, taking it out with one clean stroke. Several more arise from the ground as Ven hands the girl off to her mother, then turns his attention to taking out these monsters from the darkness. A few moments later, it was over.

Ventus takes a moment to catch his breath as he still wasn't in use to such movement. But he was getting better, getting faster. Was it the power of the Keyblade? He looks at it and wonders.

"Mr. Ven, behind you" yells the girl he had just saved, making him spin around to see one final Heartless remained; one that was launching a sneak attack on him now. And it was faster than the others, faster than what he could react to in time.

But the Heartless doesn't reach him as another Keyblade comes spinning in as a Strike Raid, hitting the Heartless and taking it out with ease. Looking, Ventus sees the source of this new Keyblade being a man who was slightly bent forward and old; a small patch of gray hair on his head and chin.

"Be mindful my boy for the Heartless are sneaky pest" warns the old man before approaching Ventus. "Still though, that was rather impressive for a youth such as yourself. I was unaware of there being a Keybearer here in this world. Tell me, are you a new apprentice to Eraqus?"

"Eraqus?" said Ventus, then shakes his head. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't know the name of the one who gave me the power of the Keyblade. All I know is that he was young from the sound of his voice and he hid his face behind a hood. And I was told by him my master would come for me soon."

"I see" says the older man, scratching his chin. "I suppose it can't be Eraqus as he would have taken you with him or I would at least sense his presence here in this world. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Ventus, sir. And yours?" asked Ven.

"I'm Xehanort, just an old, simple man who's seeks a suitable heir to succeed him as a Keyblade Master. " says the old man, who then smiles. "You said you are awaiting a master to train you and I am looking for a student to take on. Perhaps this meeting was fated to happen, to bring us together."

"So you're offering to train me then?" asked the boy.

"Only if you think you can stand spending the next few years traveling with a senile old coot such as myself" said Xehanort, grinning just a little.

Ven cracks a smile, saying "I think I can manage. Can I go get my stuff?"

"Sure, my boy. I'll wait here for you. But be sure to pack lightly, alright. Where we'll be going, there won't be much need for excessive things" says Xehanort.

Ventus nods as he turns around and heads to the small town house he was now renting to gather the few items he would want to bring while asking his land lord if he could take the rest back to the mansion.

For the next two years, Ventus stayed with Xehanort; training hard and seeing many world's he had never thought existed. And he grew stronger and more skilled and his master began to speak of his goal, of his need for an heir who could harness both light and dark to forge the TRUE Keyblade.

And it was on one destined day that Xehanort took his apprentice, Ventus, to the Keyblade Graveyard where he would give one final test; pitting him against a horde of Neo Shadows, all for the sake of forging that ultimate power.

"Now lad, it's time to lash out. Release the darkness you hold deep in your heart. Gain the power we both know you have sleeping within you. Create for me the key to our destiny" commanded Xehanort, his arms resting in a crossed pattern behind his back.

"But master, I can't. There's just to many of them" says Ventus as even more Neo Shadow's appeared around him.

"Nonsense, you're just letting your fears control you" retorts Xehanort, feeling little worry for Ventus's safety. "Don't shrink back from what we both know must be. Now, release the darkness and find a new power in the release."

"But..." argues Ventus, but his argument ends quickly as the Neo Shadow's, tired of waiting, all launch their attacks against him.

Ven's cries are caught upon the wind though none would hear it that cared...

This was the full memory given to Roxas via the first petal piece of Ventus's Wayfinder...


	13. Someday You'll Find It

**AN: **Well, here I am, having had a chance to visit and internet hotspot (and was able to bring my laptop along for the ride) so I could both do a quick look on the web and do an update on this story for all my readers out there.

What is my current state, you may be wondering? Living with my brother and his family has already changed me (as has this whole affair I'm currently in) and will likely leave me with a few gray hairs before its over. My new job, while killing my back, legs, and feet, is still paying me well enough to make it worth it in the long run.

Sadly though, my plan on getting back into the game full time (meaning getting moved back out on my own and such) has changed as I've decided to save up some money as a just in case I ever go for an extended period of being jobless again (so I can avoid returning to living with my brother). Currently, it looks like I won't be back in the game till either February or March, depending on this and that.

In the meantime, I will continue to write and update as often as I can. At present, I'm working on chpt.14 through chpt.20 at more or less the same time (doing a little bit here and there on each) with the exception of chpt.17 as that will require me to rewatch Tangled, which I can't do till I'm back in my own place (my copies pack up and my brother's family doesn't have it themselves). If possible, I'll do another update in October of chpt.14 (maybe more if I finish them by then). Till then, enjoy this chapter.

**RH**

The Organization had been called into a meeting within their massive, circular throne room; each member have taken their designated seat. Roxas and Xion were setting rather comfy close to one another as they shared a seat which was just big enough to fit them both...sort of.

"My friends, you must be wondering why I have called this emergency meeting this morning" comes Xemnas, looking around to see that some were annoyed, some indifferent, and some who looked like they were still half asleep. This was all expected seeing as they had been called in here extra early.

"I'm wondering why I'm not still sleeping in my nice relaxing bed" says Larxene.

"What's wrong? Afraid your lack of beauty sleep will make you look like an old hag or something?" asked Xigbar before laughing at his own teasing of her. Demyx also burst out laughing.

"What did you say?" roared Larxene, ready to leap from her chair over to Xigbar and stab him.

"She's not the only one" notes Vexen, pointing to Marluxia. "Pretty boy over there is probably worried about bags forming under his eyes from this early bird meeting we're having too."

Marluxia simple pulls a rose out from his coat and takes a whiff of it. "I won't deny that. After all, beauty such as mine is so hard to maintain."

Several other members laugh at that. "Enough" yells Saix, making them all stop their fooling around.

"Yesterday, while on her assignment, Xion was attacked by an unknown individual who was wearing the same garments as we do" says Xemnas, making the mood in the room shift into something more serious and focused. "If not for Roxas, we may have lost our female Keybearer in that encounter though the attacker was able to escape."

Zexion looks at Roxas and Xion, asking "Did he say anything about who he is or why he was attacking you?"

Xion shakes her head, then says "No, all he said to me was that though he didn't have anything personal against us, he was still going to hunt us down and destroy us. I don't know the reason why."

Roxas then speaks up, saying "He also said that if we, me and Xion, tried to defend the Organization, then he wouldn't hesitate to destroy us as well."

"This is an unexpected turn of events" says Axel.

"The times can be funny sometimes" agreed Luxord.

Lexaeus looks at Xemnas and says "Your orders on this matter?"

"From this moment forward, all members must maintain a line of communication with each other if sent to the same world. And if approached by another coat wearer who refuses to identify him or herself, then they are to be treated as the unknown and captured" says Xemnas.

"And if capture proves impossible or to dangerous to our existence to do?" asked Xaldin.

"Then eliminate him and bring his remains back. One way or another, we'll get our answers" says Xemnas. "Now then, its time to get to work. Just remember to remain on guard from now on as we're no longer alone out there, searching the worlds."

All the members nod before their chairs automatically lower down, allowing them to step off and head towards the lounge where Saix would give them their assignment's for today. As they walk, Roxas and Xion take a moment to glance at one another, both wondering if they had made the right choice in keeping the unknown coat wearer's name a secret as well as what else he had told them about not trusting the Organization? Could Riku be trusted or were his words right? Only time would tell...

Realm Hearts

chpt.13: Someday You'll Find It

The moment Roxas stepped out of the portal, he found himself falling into a cold a murky body of water. After a moment passes, his head pops up, covered in lily pads and other swampy gunk. He quickly looks around the hot, humid area he had arrived in, seeing nothing but a swamp like environment where ever he looked.

"Couldn't anyone have told me to be mindful of that first step into a new world?" he wonders while trying to find a spot of land he could swim to, finding nothing save for some trees that were growing out of the water.

He sighs, wondering which direction he should start swimming in? Then a thought comes to him. Don't alligators live in swamps? The sudden realization that he could become some hungry gators meal was making him nervous. He needed to get out of the water...fast.

Finally choosing a direction, Roxas begins to swim but stops when he hears a sound in the distance; growing louder and more clear as it approached him. _"What could that be?' _he wonders, spotting a low hanging tree branch near the water who's leaves could help to hide him, though he hoped there wouldn't be any surprises waiting for him there.

Once he was hidden, he waits and watch's as the source of the sound soon comes into view. It was coming from a frog who was stringing on odd musical instrument in his hands while the small wooden row boat he was in was pushed along by the currents of the watery path. The frog then begins to sing a little song.

Why are there so many

songs about Rainbows

and what's on the other side

Rainbows are visions

but only illusions

and rainbows have nothing to hide

So we've been told and some choose to believe it.  
I know they're wrong, wait and see.  
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.  
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

"Wow, a singing frog? Now I've seen it...wait, why am I so surprised by this?" wonders Roxas aloud, recalling he had already conversed with the Cheshire Cat and that rude caterpillar guy back in Wonderland. This frog seemed harmless enough so he decides to ask it for help.

"Hey, excuse me" comes Roxas as he emerges from his hiding spot.

"Hm?" comes the frog, turning to look in his direction. Seeing Roxas approach him, the frog say "Oh, hello there. I didn't know anyone else was out here right now though I have to say you've chosen an odd location to go swimming in."

"Tell me about it" says Roxas, reaching the boat and grabbing hold of the sides with his hands. "Trust me, I didn't plan on taking a swim. It just sort of happened and now I'm not sure where I am or where to go."

"Well go ahead and hop into the boat with me and I'll help you make it back to dry land" offers the frog, putting his musical instrument down and reaching out with his webbed hands to help Roxas aboard.

"Thank you" says Roxas, accepting both the offer and the hand; getting into the boat with the frog and being impressed that someone who was half his size could help him aboard without being pulled over himself. Once he was sitting down opposite the frog, Roxas introduces himself.

"I'm Roxas. Thanks again for helping me, mister...?"

"Nice to meet you, Roxas. My name is Kermit; Kermit the Frog. And no need for thanks. I like helping out people almost as much as I like meeting new people" says Kermit, preparing to grab the oars, turn the boat around, and head back to the boat house.

"I'll do that, if you don't mind" offers Roxas, grabbing the oars first, then placing them in the water.

"Are you sure?" asked Kermit. "I don't mind rowing us back."

Roxas shakes his head, saying "No, that wouldn't be fair. You've already saved me from drowning and being eaten by alligators so the least I can do to thank you for your help is to row the boat back." Roxas then, with a little work, gets the boat turned around and heads it back up the path he had seen Kermit come from.

"Well, if you're sure" says Kermit, getting a nod from Roxas. "Alighty then, though I'm sure you would have been fine swimming around here. The only alligator I know of who lives around here is Bernie and he usually stays away from people. Though it has been a years since I was last here."

"A return trip to your old stomping grounds, huh?" says Roxas whimsically, recalling Twilight Town and his friends there. "That sounds nice..."

"Yeah, I left a year before after meeting a Hollywood agent who was also named Bernie that got me interested in becoming a movie star. So I set out, made some good friends, and fulfilled my dreams. Since then, we've been working on new movie ideas and I decided to come back home for a few days in order to get some inspiration."

"Any luck so far?" asked Roxas.

Kermit sighs, shaking his head and says "Not really. Maybe the others have had better luck."

After a moment of pause, Roxas looks at the instrument Kermit had been playing earlier and ask "What's that, by the way? I've never seen an instrument like that before."

"Oh, this?" asked Kermit, picking it up, getting a nod from Roxas. "It's called a banjo. It's a little on the simple side as far as guitars go, but I like it. Here, wanna try it out?" Kermit then offers it to Roxas.

"Maybe once we get ashore" says Roxas.

"OK then" says Kermit, putting it back down for now. "By the way, why did you come out here for since you said you weren't planning on taking a swim?"

"Well, I...I'm looking for a few things" says Roxas. He then takes a hand off one of the oars, reach's into his coat pocket and pulls out a damp, soggy picture of some the Heartless seen around as drawn by Xion. He hands it to Kermit, saying "It's a little ruined, but still good enough I guess. Have you seen anything like these creatures running around by any chance?"

After a moment of consideration and thinking, Kermit shakes his head and says "Sorry, none of these ring in bells. What are they anyways?"

"They...they're called the Heartless. They're creatures that are born in the darkness, seeking out hearts to snatch from people. They can be really dangerous if left unchecked" says Roxas.

"Oh, I see. So you're a kind of bounty hunter then?" asked Kermit.

"No, no, nothing like that" says Roxas, shaking his head earnestly. "I...I'm just trying to protect people from being hurt by them. That's all."

"That's a pretty noble cause" says Kermit. "I haven't seen them around but maybe one of my friends might have. Once we get back to land, I'll take you to meet them and you can ask them yourself if your up for it?"

"Sure thing" says Roxas.

**(a little over an hour later)**

"Well, we're here" says Kermit, coming to a stop before a building that looked rather run down.

Roxas looks up at the sign above the door and reads "The El Sleezo Cafe? Are you sure this is the right place?"

"This is where I first met my friend, Fozzie. When I decided to head back to the old swamp, he came here as this is where his career first began...so to speak. Well, lets go see how he's doing" says Kermit before walking forward.

Just as he reach's the door, a man with gray hairs comes flying out, landing in the collection of trash bags that were littering the ground outside. "Hey, are you all right?" asked Roxas, running over to check on the guy.

"Yeah, I'm fine" says the guy. "Word of warning though if you're going inside. This place is home to the meanest, mangiest, scum that live on the face of the earth."

"Then why not complain to the owner then?" asked Roxas.

The man picks himself up, says "I am the owner, kid", then walks off away from his business.

"I see things haven't changed since I was last here" says Kermit. "He said the same thing to me when I first came here, under the same circumstances too. Kind of weird to be honest." He then heads inside.

"What am I getting myself into?" wonders Roxas before following Kermit inside, finding the place filled with many sailors, drunks, and other people who looked like they would slit your throat and rob an old lady blind without so much as a blink. Yeah, this really was a place you'd want to come.

As they make their way through the crowds towards the stage, Kermit says "If a fight happens to break out, just yell out 'There's drinks on the house.' Got it, Roxas?"

"Sure, OK?" says Roxas, confused by what good that would do if a fight really did break out. After some work getting around, they find a table to sit at and wait for Kermit's friend to appear. "Shouldn't we head back stage to talk to him?"

"We'll do that after he does his shtick with the audience. Fozzie will get depressed otherwise" says Kermit.

Roxas nods, then looks around as a woman walks up and drops two menu's down before them. Kermit picks his up and looks it over and Roxas does so as well a few minutes later. From what he could see, there was nothing on this menu that looked tasty, good, or even healthy looking for that matter.

"Kermit, you aren't really planning on ordering anything from here, are you?" asked Roxas.

Kermit looks at him and shakes his head. "Nope, but I want to be polite so I'll act interested. At the very least, we can order the cheapest, least deadly looking thing on the menu."

"Hey sailor, by me a drink?" asked a voice to Roxas left. He turns his head and sees a woman who was dressed in clothes fitting for a place like this.

"Sorry ma'am, but I don't have enough munny on me and besides, I doubt I could buy one for you anyways as I'm underage" says Roxas.

"So am I" says the girl, though she didn't look it. She then turns her attention to Kermit, asking "What about you mister short, green, and handsome? Wanna buy me a drink?" She then reach's out to caress Kermit's face soothingly.

But her hand is suddenly stopped by another, older man who looks at her and says "What are you doing Hilda? I thought I told you never to touch frog's. They'll give you warts."

"Excuse me, sir. But that's just a urban myth" notes Kermit.

"Yeah, what's your point? She's my miss, not yours" growls the man.

"No sir, I said myth. A MYTH" says Kermit, a little more earnestly.

"Yes?" comes a girl dressed in French style clothing who appeared to be named Myth as she assumed someone had been calling her name.

Kermit looks at Roxas and says "And here I thought that joke was last year too?"

"So it is a rumor that frog's can give people warts then?" asked Roxas. "I recall hearing that one back home though I wasn't sure if it was true or not."

"Yeah, frog's giving people warts is a myth. Toads, on the other hand..."

Kermit's words stop short as music begins to play from a tubby guy wearing shades indoors sitting at the piano. He then announces to everyone "Now, our entertainment for tonight. He hasn't been by here for a while, thankfully, so please give a round of applause for the furry...um, furry, and...always furry Fozzie Bear."

There was only two claps coming from the audience, those being Kermit and Roxas, and a couple of boo's as a bear with light brown/yellow fur, a white tie with red polka dots, and a hat comes walking out to stand at the mic.

"Alright, here I am, back again. So just bear with me until the end, wakka wakka wakka. Did anyone get the pun in there? Wakka wakka wakka, alright" says Fozzie cheerily.

The crowd erupts in boo's, all aimed at the bear. "Is that his idea of comedy?" asked Roxas.

"He does his best" says Kermit in Fozzie's defense. "...even if that best is still bad though."

Someone in the crowd yells out "Where's them dancing girls at?"

"Sorry everyone, but the girls all called in sick tonight. But don't worry, I'll entertain you as much as they would have. Now, let me see..." says Fozzie, ignoring the booing while thinking on what to start off with. "So, do we have any fat sailor's in the audience tonight?"

"What about fat sailors?" comes one such man who looked a little big in the belly as he stands and smashes his drink on the table.

"Um...nothing, sir. I was just asking" says Fozzie.

Roxas looks around the room and says "Kermit, I'm feeling a little nervous here. Look, the crowd's getting pretty ugly now."

"You think the crowd's ugly, you should see the dancing girls" notes the girl named Myth who had come to sit next to them.

"Hey everyone, how about I give you all a little dance number?" asked Fozzie.

The room goes silent for just a moment as everyone looks at each other. In the back of his mind, Kermit thinks these people may be the same ones from last year, or at least a good chunk of them anyways. They then look back at Fozzie and yell as they all charge the stage. A full on fight with Fozzie versus everyone had begun.

"Kermit...help" cries Fozzie as one burly, drunk looking man grabs him, lifts him into the air, then starts swinging him down at the ground.

"Hold on Fozzie" yells Kermit, trying to make his way over to his friend, but is stopped by the hand of a thin looking man covered in tattoo's.

"You with the bear, frog?" he asked.

"I...am?" asked Kermit, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

"Hey boys, looks like we're having frog soup for desert" yells the tattooed man before grabbing Kermit and makes for the kitchen.

Seeing Kermit and Fozzie in danger, Roxas chases the man with Kermit, yelling "Hold on, I'll..."

"Drop that frog" yells another man, stopping the man who was holding Kermit and punching him which allows Kermit escape. This act leads to fighting between the various people here in the bar itself.

Tables were being used as target boards as people were being sent flying into them. Chairs were being smashed atop the heads of others. It was all total pandemonium in here. For a moment, Roxas considered calling out his Keyblade to aid Kermit in saving Fozzie as the frog had hopped onto the back of the man attacking Fozzie, putting him into a head lock that just wasn't doing anything.

Then Roxas recalls what Kermit had told him to do before, should this happen. "Hey everyone, there's drinks on the house" he yells out loud enough for everyone to here him.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them were the only ones left in the room. "Well...that was different."

"Still works every time" chimes in Fozzie, picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off.

"Fozzie, are you OK?" asked Kermit.

"No problem" says Fozzie, quickly and happily. "That was nothing compared with the responses I got back before I met you, Kermit. Are you OK though? I know you aren't use to stuff like that unless that old timer, Doc Hopper, comes around to try to get you to reconsider your position on his business."

"Let's not talk about him right now, alright?" asked Kermit, not wanting to be reminded of the trouble that man had caused him, even if it did also bring him and the other Muppets together in the end. "Anyways, I want to introduce you to a new friend I met today."

Roxas steps forward and extends a hand. "I'm Roxas. Kermit has told me a lot about you. I...your an interesting guy, mister Fozzie."

Fozzie takes his hand and they shake. "Nice to meet you too. And don't worry about calling me mister. Feels and sounds weird to hear it be said."

"Gotcha" says Roxas.

"Roxas here is looking into some oddities and I was unable to help him. Maybe you might be able to, Fozzie" says Kermit, getting their attention.

"If he's a friend of yours, then how can I say no" says Fozzie to Kermit, then looks back at Roxas who shows him the picture of the various Heartless seen up till now by him or Xion.

"So, any of these look familiar to you or have you seen anything with this emblem imprinted on their bodies?" asked Roxas.

"Hm?" says Fozzie, scratching his chin. "Sorry, can't say that I have. I'm sure I'd recall seeing anything that looked weird like this."

Roxas sighs a little, then smiles. "Maybe that means this world is safe then?"

Kermit gives him a curious look, knowing Roxas likely didn't mean to say that aloud and was likely unaware that he had too. "Hey, what about asking Gonzo?" offered Fozzie.

"Gonzo?" asked Roxas.

"Another in our groups of friends" explained Kermit.

"Yeah, him. He's the biggest weirdo we know..." says Fozzie, with Kermit quickly cutting in and saying "He's the only one we know."

Fozzie nods, then says "If anyone would know anything about weird creatures, it would be him. Come on, the car's outback." And with that, Fozzie leads them out the door and around to the alley way where he was parked. As they walk, Roxas hears talking and looks up to see everyone had gone to the roof, taking the drinks on the house bit a little to literally. He had a feeling that was common in this world.

"I still can't believe you bought back the old Studebaker, Fozzie" says Kermit as he and Fozzie get in the front and Roxas in the back.

"Of course I had to get it back, Kermit" says Fozzie as he turns the car on. "My uncle said he'd kill me if I didn't..."

**(sometime later)**

Roxas opened his eyes, finding he had fallen asleep shortly after they had left the El Sleezo. He hears the sound of singing, realizes that it was coming from Kermit and Fozzie, singing about how they were "Moving Right Along."

"Hey guys, how long was I out for?" he asked, worried that it might be getting close to going back time.

"Um...you were asleep?" asked Fozzie. "No wonder you've been so quiet, wakka wakka."

"Sorry Roxas, I was to busy reading the road map and making sure Fozzie was heading in the right direction to have noticed either" adds Kermit.

"No problem" says Roxas. "So, are we almost there?"

"If we didn't get lost, then in about fifteen minutes" says Kermit.

The next fifteen minutes were quiet ones. Well, as quiet as they could be when you had a bear and a frog singing songs. But soon enough, they arrived at an old dilapidated church with a bus sitting outside, one that had been done up in a crazy series of rainbow colors.

"Looks like the whole gang's here, Kermit" says Fozzie, then getting out of the car.

As they walk towards the church, Kermit looks back and says "This place use to be home to our friends, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem; a band along with their manager, Scooter. Gonzo, along with Rowlf, Honeydew, Beaker, and Miss Piggy should be here as well so you'll be able to ask them all."

"Alright..." says Roxas, thinking that if no one else here in this place didn't recognize the Heartless images, then he'd call it a day for this world. But the church doors suddenly burst open and a panicked looking chicken comes running out.

"Hey, its Camilla. Wonder what's wrong?" says Kermit.

"Maybe someone ruffled her feathers the wrong way, wakka wakka" joked Fozzie.

"Fozzie..." groaned Kermit as Camilla reach's them and starts squawking up a storm. "Slow down, Camilla. I don't understand..."

"Something must be wrong inside" says Roxas, fearing that the Heartless had shown themselves. He runs forward and enters the church.

Pushing the twin doors hard to open them, Roxas finds chaos before him. At the center of the room was what appeared to be a giant bell with a female like form growing from the top of it. Around this creature were more Muppets; some trying to attack it, some trying to hide, and some that were acting weird...well, weird for them anyways.

"Wait Animal, that's not working" yells Floyd to his furry band mate who had managed to jump onto the creatures back and was trying to bite it with little success.

"Don't worry guys. The Great Gonzo will take it down" comes the weird looking creature of blue/purple fur coloring. Gonzo looks back at Rowlf and adds "Light me up."

"You sure about this?" asked the brown fur dog.

"Of course I am. I thought you know how I think by now" says Gonzo confidently.

"Your funeral then" says Rowlf, shrugging and lighting the fuse to the cannon Gonzo was in. A moment later, it fires but Gonzo doesn't exit it, instead stays placed inside with plenty of smoke now covering him.

"Oh yeah, I forget this was the trick cannon" says Gonzo embarrassed.

"Maybe music will soothe the savage beast" pondered Dr. Teeth. "What do you think, Scooter?"

"Well, it's worth a shot" says the glass's wearing manager to the Electric Mayhem band.

"Oh, I hope we can capture it alive. I so want to study it" comes the voice of Bunsen Honeydew, a green face old man type who also wore glass's, despite not having any see-able eyes on his bald head. His assistant, Beaker, beeps out his agreement.

"Forget that. I'll show you how we deal with a monster like this back home" yells Miss Piggy, dressed in karate garb before leaping at the creature to use her brute force power to take it down.

The creature, seemingly annoyed with all of this, gives out a siren like cry from its mouth while the bell part of its body chimes, releasing visible sound wave that hits the remaining Muppets, also effecting them and causing them to start acting weird.

"Whoa, what is that thing?" says Fozzie and he and Kermit finally join Roxas inside the church.

"Guys, stay back" says Roxas, calling out his Keyblade. "I'll deal with this Heartless."

"It isn't a Heartless, Roxas" comes Kermit suddenly, making Roxas look back at him.

"Wait, it isn't? Then what is..." Before Roxas could finish his sentence, the creature targets them and unleashes another series of sound waves at them. Though it was to fast to dodge, Roxas finds he wasn't being affect by the attack. Neither was Kermit it seemed. But Fozzie...

"Yeh syug, tahw tsuj deneppah?" asked Fozie, his voice sounding all weird.

"Fozzie? What happened to him..." asked Roxas.

"It's the special power that creature has, Roxas" says Kermit, stepping up to join him. "It can use sound waves to reverse everything a person does. Their words are reversed, they walk opposite the direction they intend to go, and they don't even know it's happening either."

"Seriously" asked Roxas. He then looks back at the creature and says "What is it?"

"It's a Dream Eater, Roxas. A Nightmare class to be exact. I call it Reversa-bella. I've been fighting against it for a long time and have had no success in defeating it, thus continuing this never ending dream."

"Wait Kermit...I don't understand" says Roxas.

"I'll explain it all after we defeat this guy. Before, I was unable to handle it because I'm not strong enough alone to win. But with you here now..." Kermit stops long enough to hold his hand out and a Keyblade appears in it. "I know I can bring this dream to an end."

"A Keyblade..." Roxas shakes his head, reminding himself that an explanation will come later. Right now, they had something to do. "Let's do this."

"Remember, its reversal power won't effect us like the others, but it can still stop our attacks should we get caught in the wave." Kermit then leaps at the Dream Eater, swinging his Keyblade at it.

Kermit's Keyblade was green in color with the guard in the shape and style of a lily pad. The key chain hanging from it had a little mini Kermit like face and the reach was small. The Reversa-bella tries to hit Kermit with its waves, but the small frog nimbly dodges them, then lands a smack upon its shoulder.

Roxas comes in low, aiming his attack at the bell like body, Kingdom Key strike fast and hard against the metallic surface and creating some interesting chimes as well. He then notices the metal ball at the center of the bell was glowing. "That has to be it's weak point" he says aloud , going for a strike.

Reversa-bella unleashes a new sound wave at the last second, making both Roxas and Kermit fly back away from it. "Man, that sucker's hard."

"Now you know why I haven't defeated it yet" says Kermit. "Physical strength just isn't my forte."

"But I do think I found its weak point. It I can distract the head, you can go low and attack the inside of the bell. Shatter the chime and it should fall" says Roxas.

"If you're sure, then lets do it" says Kermit. Roxas then switch's the Pumpkinhead and goes for the head, striking fast and hard as much as he could. The Reversa-bella tries to counter with sound waves, but finds itself before confused due to Pumpkinhead's special ability.

Kermit, meanwhile, positions himself inside and sees the chime. Leaping up, his swings his Lilly-pad Keyblade as hard as he can. The first hit doesn't work, the second makes a crack appear. Three more hits add even more cracks, and then...the chime shatters.

The Reversa-bella cried out as its body breaks apart and explodes, leaving the victor's to celebrate. "Kermit, we did..." Roxas words are cut short when he finds everyone freezing in place save for himself and Kermit.

"Confused, huh?" asked Kermit.

"I think I can think of a ton of questions to ask" admits Roxas, walking up to stand before his amphibian friend.

"It all started...well, I'm not sure how long ago it was to be honest. A man came to our world, talking of Hearts and doors and other such things, like the Heartless. He asked me for help. I agreed as that's the kind of guy I am but he was just using me because of my Keyblade. When he realized I wasn't strong enough for his needs, he left. But not before weakening the door of this world."

"For months, I search with my friends; trying to find the door. Then she came, the woman in black who used our world as a testing ground for her Heartless summoning power. We battled hard but it wasn't good enough. We finally found the Keyhole, but it was to late. The damage had been done. I was left with no other choice. I used my Keyblade to send this world into Slumber with only me remaining awake and knowing the truth."

"What is a Sleeping world then? And what about that thing? A Dream Eater you called it" asked Roxas.

Kermit takes a moment to think about this, then says "A world that Slumbers is a world that nearly fell into darkness. As a fellow Keybearer, I'm sure you know about what happens if Heartless are left unchecked, allowed to run rampant in any world for to long."

"Yeah, I do" says Roxas.

"Well, in some cases, the world will instigate a fail safe before it can be plunged into the darkness, instead choosing to enter Slumber. In this, it will be protected from any and all Heartless attacks. Down side is though is that the world will need an external force to help it awaken again."

"As for the Dream Eaters? They are the denizen's of the realm of Slumber. There are two types, Spirits and Nightmares. Spirits are good Dream Eaters, working to safe guard the world so its barrier can heal and can then one day awaken. Nightmares, on the other hand, try to keep the world from healing and wish for it to remain in slumber so they can continue to feed of the dreams of the sleeping people."

"I see. Then how does one wake a world in Slumber?" asked Roxas.

"You find the Keyhole of Sleep and release it, much like how you'd visit the door of the world in the form of a Keyhole as well" says Kermit.

"Great, another thing to find then?" groans Roxas, thinking he likely wouldn't be able to leave till it had been found.

"Actually, I already have it with me" says Kermit, pointing to the banjo strapped to his back. "I found it easy enough, but that Nightmare kept appearing every time I tried to seal it and stopped me. Of course, it would appear as well even if I didn't if I went long enough. But now, thanks to you, I can finally unseal this sleeping world so my friends can finally wake again."

"I'm glad I was able to help" says Roxas cheerfully.

"Just so you know, the moment I do this, you'll likely find yourself back in whatever world you had just come from. Though it may be a while, I'm sure we'll meet again one day" says Kermit, extending his hand out to Roxas.

"Yeah, I hope so to" says Roxas.

"Oh yeah, before you do leave. I want to give you something" says Kermit as he pulls his banjo off and sits on a pew. He then waves his free hand and makes another appear in Roxas hand. "Come, sit next to me."

Roxas nods and sit, then ask "So, what is it..."

"I want to give you the power I have. A power that allows one to become stronger by adding the power of another to them. It was this power that could have aided me in stopping the Dream Eater, but due to my friends being trapped in Slumber, it was impossible."

"So, what do I do?" asked Roxas.

"Just play the banjo like I do and the rest will take care of itself" instructs Kermit before strumming the strings. "Just listen and feel the music. If our hearts can find the proper resonance, then the words will come to you." Roxas nods, then Kermit leads them into the duet.

Why are there so many

songs about rainbows

and what's on the other side

Rainbows are visions

but only illusions

and rainbows have nothing to hide

So we've been told and some choose to believe it.  
I know they're wrong, wait and see.  
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.  
The lovers, the dreamers and me

For Roxas, it was weird. As he listened to Kermit play, he began to feel a connection forming between him and Kermit. He couldn't explain it, but it did felt as if their hearts were connecting somehow. And the words of this song. They were as clear as day to him within his mind. Mimicking Kermit's banjo playing as if he himself was a seasoned pro, Roxas sings the next verse of the song.

Who said that every wish would be heard  
and answered when wished on the morning star?  
Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.  
Look what it's done so far

What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing  
and what do we think we might see?  
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.  
The lovers, the dreamers and me

Kermit gave him a nod as he finished, then quickly joined Roxas in continuing the song.

All of us under its spell

We know that it's probably magic

_(Kermit)_Have you been half asleep

and have you heard voices?

_(Roxas)_I've heard them calling my name

_(Kermit)_Is this the sweet sound

that called the young sailors

_(Roxas)_The voice might be one and the same

_(Kermit)_I've heard it too many times to ignore it.

_(Roxas)_It's something that I'm supposed to be

_(together)_Someday we'll find it,

the rainbow connection.  
The lovers, the dreamers and me

The song finished, Roxas found he and Kermit were now glowing with a mysterious light. Kermit nods at him, then press's his hands against his chest for a moment then pulls them away, a ball of light having appeared in his hands. He then press's the ball against Roxas chest and for just a moment, Roxas feels something warm and empowering wash over him. Then the light around them fades.

"What did you give me?" asked Roxas.

"You'll find out in time, just like I had to do when I was given the power. Don't worry though. When the time comes, you'll understand it all" says Kermit reassuringly, then placing his banjo on the ground followed by summoning forth his Keyblade again.

The banjo now glows, releasing a light that shoots into the sky and forming a rainbow colored keyhole. Kermit aims Lilly-pad at the rainbow keyhole; a light releasing at the target and making an unlocking sound as they connect. The the keyhole fades, the whole world begins to glow brightly.

"Well, it's time for this world to finally awaken from her long slumber" says Kermit, taking a moment to look around as the scenery around them shifted and changed.

"Will we ever meet each other again, Kermit?" asked Roxas as the frog himself began to fade away.

Kermit looks back at him and smiles. "I'm sure we will someday. And if you ever need any help, I'll be there along with that rainbow connection..." Kermit then holds his hand out, offering it to Roxas who returns the gesture, both shaking as the world finished fading around them...

"...And that's what happened" finished Roxas, looking at Xemnas to see what his reaction would be.

"Hm? Most curious. I have heard of there being sleeping worlds out there, but never have I nor anyone else here encountered them before. Most fascinating. And what happened to you next?"

"I was surrounded by light for a moment, then I found myself waking up inside a twilight corridor. I tried to reestablish a portal to Kermit's world, but it wouldn't open" said Roxas.

"Likely do to the world still needing time to fully awaken. And even then, the portal coordinates may not be valid between a dream state and the waking state as well" explained Xemnas.

"I hope I can go back there again someday" says Roxas absently to himself as his eyes drift off to look at a nearby window. "I feel there's more I could learn from him..."

"Perhaps in time" says Xemnas. "By the way, I apologies for not alerting you to the existence of sleeping worlds, even if I believed them to only be a legend. Not doing so was..."

"Don't worry about it. I know now, that's enough, right?" said Roxas.

Xemnas gives him a smile "Indeed. Now, go rest for now. You've earned it."

"Like I haven't rested enough as it is" joked Roxas, getting a chuckles from the leader. "But all the same, maybe a little more won't hurt me." And with that, Roxas excused himself from the room.

An hour later, he was sitting at the fake clock tower with Xion and Axel, having related to them his adventures in the sleeping world. "So Roxas, how do you know you aren't asleep now?" asked Axel.

"Who knows? Maybe we're all asleep and just waiting for our own personal awakening" says Roxas.

"If this is a dream, then I hope I never wake up" says Xion, getting the two boys to look at her. "After all, I'm happier here."

"Agreed" said Roxas.

"I'll second you both there" agreed Axel.

They look back out over the fake expanse of sky and Roxas decides to share it with them. Turning back, he pulls the banjo out as he had found it with him when he had woken up before and had decided to keep it as a reminder of his meeting with Kermit. Axel and Xion watch him as he strums the strings a few times, then begins to play.

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows..."

to be continued...

Statler and Waldorf, two cranky old man sat in their chairs, having finished watching the show. They turn and look at each other.

"You know, that's the worst thing I've ever seen on TV" says Statler.

"Yeah, paint drying and grass growing is more interesting than this stuff" agreed Waldorf.

The two old Muppets then start laughing at their own words, like they always did after giving a review of something they had just seen.


End file.
